


forgetting the coin for the ferryman

by Mattecat



Series: Coinverse [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Bad Decisions, F/F, Gen, Magic, Near drowning experiences, Suicide Attempt, Warnings May Change, ill fight the hagemans my self, it's a morro fic first and foremost but nya and skylor are lesbians harold, none of the canon villains worked for the plot so I made my own [shrug emoji], please stay safe readers, questionable characterization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-02-28 23:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 78,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13282038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: Morro, newly resurrected, can't stay with the ninja. So Wu calls Cyrus Borg to take him in. History repeats, the Cursed Realm calls, and Lloyd’s attempt to give Morro a second chance has far more consequences than anyone imagined.





	1. This life ain’t no love song.

**Author's Note:**

> literally everyone: don't start a new chaptered fic  
> me: okay but what if I started a new chaptered fic
> 
> disclaimer: I haven't seen anything past season 5, so idk the lore or anything. I stole the temple of resurrection thing from a season 8 set but idk anything about how it actually works.
> 
> also uhhhh pay heed to the content warnings in every chapter. bc uh there's gonna be a lot of them, or at least more than in my other lego fics. it's that kind of story.
> 
>  **warnings:** warnigns are chapter by chapter. someone jumps off a building in this chapter – it is not a suicide attempt, but there is a suicide attempt in a later chapter (4). please stay safe
> 
>  **if suicide is not something you are comfortable reading about, even if there's no actual death, I advise skipping chapters 4 and 5.** I wrote a very basic summary of what's important to know from those chapters in the notes of chapter 6.
> 
> lego ninjago sucks and I hate it anyway here's my new au fic

Cyrus gets the call late at night, around ten PM. He doesn't think anything much of it; he's awake around that time, anyway. "Good evening, Wu!" he says brightly. "What's going on? Do you need me to build new weapons for the ninja?"

"No," says Wu. "But… I do have a rather big favor to ask you."

"Oh, it's no problem, whatever it is. What is it?"

Wu is quiet on the phone for a long moment, and Cyrus realizes this must be more serious than he thought. "Not a what," Wu says, "but a who. There's… someone who doesn't have a place to stay, and we were wondering if you could take him in."

Cyrus has to think about it for a moment. "That shouldn't be a problem. There's plenty of room in my home. Might need someone to help me out around here, anyway! What's his name?" He pauses. "And… what's his situation, exactly?"

Morro's situation is that he died, became a ghost in the Cursed Realm, tried to summon an eldritch horror to curse all the other realms, and nearly killed Lloyd, the other ninja, and many other people several times over. Cyrus can tell Wu is skipping most of the details. "Lloyd resurrected him," Wu says, "but… he can't stay here. He can't heal while he's here, and neither can anyone else."

"I understand," Cyrus says. "I have to tell you, though… I don't know if I'll be able to help him."

"What will help him the most is being away from all these memories of the past. If you can give him that, you'll help him more than we can."

"Well, Borg Industries is the home of the future! Always best to be looking forward, eh, Wu?"

Cyrus laughs awkwardly. Wu doesn't seem to be amused. "He'll be ready to go in the morning, if you're willing to come here," he says. "Thank you."

* * *

_Lloyd doesn't know what he's doing. He remembers the glimpses of what he saw in the Sword of Sanctuary, remembers Wu grabbing Morro's hand, remembers the Preeminent pulling Morro down into the water – when he hears about the Temple of Resurrection, the idea creeps into his head, and he can't get it out._

* * *

Morro's possessions consist of a half-stuffed backpack, the clothes on his back, and nothing else. He scowls and looks away while Wu greets Cyrus. They exchange a few generic pleasantries, then Cyrus claps his hands together before rolling his wheelchair over to Morro. "Well!" he says. "We should get going!"

Morro says nothing. He doesn't even look at him. Cyrus figures he shouldn't be offended. "Once we get there, there's plenty of different rooms available," he says. "We can probably arrange for you to be on any of the floors, so… what floor do you want?"

"One hundred," says Morro.

"Alright!"

That seems to catch him by surprise. Morro looks at him with bewilderment written all over his face. "You… actually have that many floors?"

Cyrus chuckles. "Oh, it's higher, actually. We're at a hundred and ten, the tallest building in Ninjago!"

"How do you get up there?"

"Surely you know what an elevator is, Morro," Wu says. The scowl instantly reappears on Morro's face and he looks back down.

"Let's just go," he says.

As he gets in the car, Wu waves to him. Morro pointedly looks in the opposite direction.

Cyrus attempts to make smalltalk during while the car drives itself to Ninjago City. "Wu didn't tell me much about you," he said. "What do you like to do?"

"I'm sure Wu told you plenty," Morro says.

"He did tell me about your history, if that's what you're getting at. Doesn't really give me an insight into what your hobbies are."

Morro snorts. "I don't have hobbies."

"Really? Nothing you like doing?"

"No."

"How do you spend your time, then?"

Morro doesn't answer and stares out the window.

Cyrus changes the subject. "Have you ever been to Ninjago City before?"

"Of course I've been to Ninjago City." Morro pauses. "It's… bigger than it used to be."

It's the second time Morro's said something that sounds genuine. Cyrus chases the thread of conversation. "It's definitely grown a lot in the past few years," he says. "We could go to the places you remember, see what's new!"

"It's been fifty years. Every place I knew is probably gone."

"Ah," says Cyrus, trying not to betray how unnerved the statement makes him, coming from the person who looks to be in his late teens at most. Morro seems to notice anyway, and he smirks.

The towers of Ninjago City are visible in the distance. Cyrus gestures at them. "Fifty years, huh? I bet those are new!"

"I've seen them before. It's not like I haven't been there at all in fifty years."

"Have you ever been inside one of them?"

"No."

"That'll be new, then!"

"Whatever."

Morro says nothing more for the remainder of the drive.

* * *

_The instructions for how to use the temple are cryptic riddles at best and unreadable at worst. Lloyd brute-forces it, clinging to the idea in his mind and flooding the temple with his power. The light grows, and grows, and Lloyd squeezes his eyes shut and keeps it up past the point where it's unbearable, until he can't keep it up any longer._

_The light fades, and there's a body on the temple floor._

* * *

Eventually, they reach the city itself. Cyrus notices Morro start to perk up, really _looking_ at what's going on outside the car instead of just staring blankly out the window. Cyrus cracks a smile, but just as he's about to say something, Morro stiffens, as if he's realized he's being watched, and slumps back down in his seat, staring at his lap. So Cyrus stays quiet.

The car pulls into the parking garage, and they both get out. "The elevators are that way," Cyrus says, wheeling himself up the ramp. Morro follows a few feet behind. "Your room won't be ready for, hmm, I'd say two hours? So we'll need a way to pass the time until then. Have you had lunch?"

"I'm not hungry," says Morro.

"Well, I am. If you don't want to sit around and watch me eat, I can get something quick." Cyrus presses the up button. "I'll show you around afterwards."

The elevator dings and the doors open. Inside, Morro stumbles when they begin their rapid ascent, and he grabs onto Cyrus' wheelchair for balance; Cyrus is grateful the wheels are locked. "Careful there!" he says. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Morro snaps, and he regains his footing and stuffs his hands in his pockets. Cyrus decides not to press.

There's a public cafeteria for visitors, in the basement, and a smaller, private cafeteria on the twentieth floor. Most of the employees use the public cafeteria, but Cyrus has found that being in the basement gives him anxiety. So he only uses the private one.

He doesn't tell Morro about the anxiety. Seems like too much information to share with someone he's just met. Instead, he says, "It's fairly quiet here. The public cafeteria is much… busier. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you just need a calm environment, you know?"

Morro grunts noncommittally and looks around. Cyrus catches his gaze lingering on some of the food.

"You sure you're not hungry?" Cyrus asks. "There's plenty here if you want anything."

"Does it cost anything?"

"Of course not, you're my guest!"

Cyrus can't help but chuckle when Morro moves towards the food. "Help yourself to anything you want," he says. "The kitchen always makes more than we need."

Morro's mouth twitches, but he puts a small portion of macaroni and cheese on a plate. He's awfully skinny, Cyrus notes. Either he has a fast metabolism, he doesn't eat enough, or both. Either way, Cyrus will have to make sure make sure Morro gets enough food in him.

They find a table to sit at. "Morro, could you move that chair for me?" Cyrus asks.

Morro blinks. "Why?"

"So I can fit my wheelchair there."

"Oh."

Once they're both sitting, Cyrus keeps an eye on Morro as he eats. Morro is done with his food before Cyrus is – which isn't surprising, considering how little he took, but Morro eats it like he would never get to eat anything again, wolfing it down in what felt like seconds. Cyrus turns his attention to his own food.

When a few minutes have passed, and Morro is tapping his fingers on the table, Cyrus speaks up. "You can have more, if you want."

"I don't," Morro says. "Want more, I mean."

"That's fine, too. You seemed pretty hungry, is all."

Morro scowls and goes to put his plate away.

Cyrus meets him at the exit. "I'll be notified when your room is ready," he says. "How about a tour?"

Morro glances at the window. The twentieth floor is already fairly high, but not high enough to surpass the height of the neighboring buildings.

"Can we go to the roof?" he asks.

* * *

_The first words out of Morro's mouth are, "Why did you do this to me?"_

* * *

There's an observation deck on the roof, which is what Cyrus thinks Morro wanted to see. Morro goes right to the railing, his hair blowing in the breeze. It's not very windy today, otherwise Cyrus would have never brought him here. He can't help but feel a prickle of anxiety, though, and he wheels cautiously to where Morro stands. "You can see for miles," he says. "This is the tallest building in Ninjago, after all."

"I know," says Morro, and he climbs over the railing.

The prickle of anxiety turns into a spike. "Morro!" Cyrus shouts, and he reaches for him – uselessly, of course, because Morro is already at the edge of the building itself, out of reach, looking down at the street far, far below. The wind is picking up, and Cyrus can only think, _Wu is going to kill me._ "Morro, come back!"

Morro turns around, smiles – the first time Cyrus has seen him smile, a real smile – and falls backwards over the edge.

Cyrus can feel his heart drop with Morro's fall, and he can't even scream, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles are white. The wind is blowing harder now, whistling in his ears. Dimly, Cyrus things he should lock his wheels, but he can't move, can barely breathe –

Out from beneath the ledge, Morro spins back up and alights just in front of Cyrus. His hair is tousled by the wind, and his cheeks are flushed, a grin spread across his face. He's breathing hard. Cyrus finds he can breathe again.

"Wasn't sure I could do that," Morro says.

"Well," says Cyrus, "now you know to never do that again."

* * *

_Neither of them have any weapons. They fight anyway, bare fists connecting with skin, knees scraped and bloody on the rough stone floor. Morro screams wordlessly, digging his nails into Lloyd's flesh, ripping out his blonde hair. He told no one where he was going, Lloyd thinks. He went alone, in the dead of night. He doesn't want to use his powers. He doesn't want to kill him – but Morro won't_ quit. _Lloyd has a black eye, Morro has a split lip, and still they struggle._

_Tears are streaming down Morro's face. Lloyd can feel tears in his own eyes, too._

_He doesn't know how long it's been before the others find them. Cole grabs Morro and pulls him off Lloyd, holding him back while Morro sobs and reaches, his fingers raw and bleeding. Lloyd knows Kai is holding him, can hear him asking what happened – his friends aren't stupid. Lloyd can't speak, but Kai figures it out._

_He thought it would work. He thought it would be okay. Morro was still a teenager when he died. He deserved a second chance, didn't he?_

_But now, while his mother treats his wounds, listening to Morro’s wails in the other room, Lloyd only feels like he's made a mistake._


	2. This kid's not alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /dabs

The room the robots have set up has a window overlooking the city. After the incident on the roof, Cyrus is afraid of leaving Morro alone in a room on the hundredth floor – but that's irrational, the rooftop thing was just a prank. It wasn't as if Morro would fall with the intention of hitting the ground at full force.

Cyrus takes a deep breath.

The bed has plain gray sheets. Cyrus tells Morro he can choose a different color if he wants. Morro just shrugs; he certainly seems more relaxed than he was before _literally jumping off the roof good lord who even does that!_

He takes another deep breath.

He leaves Morro to unpack his things, thinking he should give him time to settle in. Cyrus doesn't know what the nature of their relationship is supposed to be; Morro isn't exactly a child, but Cyrus feels like he's being called upon to babysit a distant relative. Wu didn't give any end date to this stay, but Cyrus has a feeling Morro won't want to stay forever.

Cyrus figures he should call Wu.

He intends to open with some sort of pleasantry, something about how Morro was settling in. Instead, the first thing out of his mouth when Wu picks up the phone is, "Morro jumped off the building."

"He did _what_ –"

"And lived!" Cyrus quickly clarifies. "He can fly. Not that I knew that. I suppose it was a prank. He asked if he could see the roof, and, well… he's fine. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"No, Borg, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked this much of you."

"No, no, it's fine, really! The room is set up for him, and I'm letting him settle in before I start asking him to help around the place. I'm sure we'll get along fine."

"If you need me to take him back –"

There's a sudden scuffling on the other end of the line, muffled voices speaking up. Cyrus waits for the noise to die down and Wu to speak again. "If you need us to… find somewhere else for him –"

"Oh no, there's no need for that at this point," Cyrus says. "Like I said, we'll get along fine. Just as long as he doesn't, ah, do that again. And I've told him that."

"If you're sure. Thank you again for this."

"It's no problem, I assure you. I just wanted to check in, let you know how things were going."

"Well," Wu says, "you did that."

"Right. That's all. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

* * *

The room looks like it was set up for someone with far more stuff than him, Morro notes. An untouched desk. Empty shelves. A dresser with drawers large enough to hold the backpack he was so graciously given. He rub his fingers on the cloth. It had been Jay's, hadn't it? It was blue, anyway. Blue and worn, made for someone much smaller than he was.

Morro spends the next five minutes searching for a way to open the window so he can throw it out, but windows on the hundredth floor are not built to open easily, if at all. Instead, Morro stuffs it in the trash can after taking out the clothes Wu bought for him – more gifts, he thinks in disgust, but ones that were unfortunately necessary to keep.

He runs out of things to do after that.

The door is obviously locked, just like the one in the old room, so Morro doesn't bother trying to open it. He lies on his back on the bed and stares at the ceiling.

He really, really hates Wu.

He hates other people, too. He hates all of Wu's new students, and especially his nephew, Wu's little prodigy, the one who destiny chose over him, the favored student, the Green Ninja – Morro shakes his head. Thinking about Lloyd brings up all sorts of negative emotions, of which hatred is only one of many. No, it's easier for Morro to think about Wu, and to hate him.

Wu hates him too, obviously. It's why he was sent away.

Borg, though… Borg is too genuine for Morro to suspect any ulterior motive. No, worse, Borg is just stupid. It had been fun to scare him, though, and Morro wonders how far he can push him before something breaks.

He lies there for a long time. The knock on the door startles him. "Who's there?" he says, sitting up.

"Just me!" Oh, that's Borg's voice. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, whatever."

The door opens and Borg rolls in. "How are you settling in?" he asks. "I noticed you don't have a lot of stuff."

"Yeah," Morro says. There's a small box on Borg's lap, he notices.

"Right. Anyway, the reason I'm here is to give you something."

Another gift. Morro keeps his expression neutral.

Borg hands the box to him. Morro takes it and frowns as he reads the packaging. "A… phone?"

"Yep! This is a big tower, and I can't have you wandering around without a way to contact you." Borg grins. "You've probably never seen something like this before!"

"I know what a phone is." Ronin had had something like this. Morro opens the box and picks up the phone. It's a thin rectangle, wrapped in plastic, a screen taking up most of the surface area. Morro turns it over in his hand. "How do you use it?"

"Well, you have to turn it on, first."

"If i knew how to do that I wouldn't be asking how to use it."

"Ah. Let me show you…"

As a ghost, Morro didn't need to know how to use any technology. He possessed what he needed to use and could make it work without even thinking. Now, Borg has to walk him through turning the phone on and setting it up. "You'll have to make an account on the network," he says. "You can use this to log into most places affiliated with Borg Industries, so choose a username that represents you."

Morro taps at the touchscreen. His frown deepens. "Why does it say my name is already taken?"

"Oh, well, most usernames are taken already. You'll have to choose something else."

Morro goes through a half dozen variations of his name. Each one is taken. He finally enters "cursedmorro" on impulse. The phone cheerfully informs him that username is available.

Once he's decided on a password, it's time to set up his profile. "Huh," says Borg. "You don't have a surname?"

A long time ago, Wu had given Morro his surname. He didn't keep it for long. Morro scowls at the memory. "No," he says. "I don't."

"Ah," says Borg, as if he could possibly understand. "That's alright, it's not required for the profile. You will need a date of birth, though…"

Wu had given Morro a birthday, too. When he was taken in, Morro didn't know when his real birthday was, so Wu had decided his birthday would be the day he began his training. They celebrated every year up until the day he left.

Morro grits his teeth. "I don't have one."

"You'll need to choose one, just for the profile. If I could offer a suggestion, you could pick the new year of…" Borg makes an handwave-y gesture. "…approximately how many years ago you would have been born to be the age you are now, and if you need to change it, I can edit it manually."

"Fine."

With that, the phone is finally set up enough for him to use. "Here's the texting feature," Borg says, leaning over in his wheelchair to point it out. "Let me just give you my number, and you can send me a text so I'll have yours. Then you can go wherever you want, within some limits. Your account is also your ID, so you can use it to get food from the cafeterias without having to pay for it. I'll get you the physical card soon, but for now, you'll need to give them your username at the register."

"Okay."

"So that's that!" Borg beams at him. "Feel free to use the other features of your phone. It only has the default apps right now, but you can download more if you want. I'm sure you can figure it out, but if you have any trouble, give me a text, alright?"

"So I can just go?" Morro asks. "My door's not locked?"

"Of course not! You're not a prisoner, my goodness." Borg pauses. "The roof door, however, is locked. You do not have the clearance to unlock it."

Morro smirks. "What do I have clearance for, then?"

"Not much, as of yet. The private cafeteria is just about the limit. We can talk about approving you for higher clearances as needed. You're also free to leave the tower, if you want, though unless you have money, there's a limit to where you can go. I'd be willing to arrange a ride for you."

"I'll stay in the tower." The tower is already huge, and Morro doesn't know anywhere else to go. The museum, maybe. His mouth twitches.

"Alright! I should be getting back to work." Borg rolls backwards and turns his wheelchair around. "I might not see you again until next morning," he, twisting around in the seat to face Morro. "If I don't, have a good night, and I will see you in the morning."

Morro shrugs. "Fine by me."

Once Borg is gone, he looks at his phone again. There's a lot of buttons on the touchscreen that he's not familiar with, so he puts the phone in his pocket and leaves the room. Might as well explore the tower, since he can.

* * *

He goes back to the cafeteria first. How long could taking the stairs from floor one hundred to floor twenty be? Morro gets to floor eighty-seven before he decides to take the elevator instead.

Apparently, he went in the wrong elevator, because the one he finds only goes as low as floor fifty. Morro stares at the buttons for much longer than necessary before he jabs it, figuring he can get on another elevator from there.

Walking through the hall, Morro looks around at the art decorating the walls. It's all very abstract. It distracts him enough that when the robotic voice speaks up, he nearly jumps out of his skin.

"Please take caution when entering the moving walkway."

"The what?" Morro says out loud, and then the floor moves beneath his feet.

Caught by surprise, Morro slips and sits down hard. The floor continues moving, taking him past a painting on a comically long canvas. Morro gets to his feet and stumbles sideways, onto another walkway that is moving the same direction, but faster.

"Augh – !"

He nearly trips again at the end of the walkway, stumbling onto solid, unmoving ground and taking a moment to catch his breath. It looks like he's at the corner of the building, with a door to his left, another hall to his right, and a window in front of him. Morro looks out at the view and is quietly thankful that no one saw him just them.

The room is unlocked and void of people. It appears to be some sort of conference room. There's a counter with a coffee machine and a basket of sugar packets, so he grabs a handful and stuffs them in his pockets.

"Where's the elevator?" he mutters, leaving the room and walking down the hall. He tears open a sugar packet and licks the sugar out of his palm, carefully watching the floor in case he steps onto another moving walkway.

The next door he tries is locked. Morro wipes his spit-covered hand on his pants and moves onto the next door. Another conference room, identical to the first. He grabs another handful of sugar packets and steals a pen to go with them. In the third conference room, Morro eyes the basket of sugar packets, chewing on his pen, then takes the whole thing.

As he's leaving with the basket, he bumps into someone entering the room. Morro jumps back in alarm.

The woman laughs. "Oh! Sorry about that, I didn't see you there! We're having a meeting in this room in a few minutes, so…" Her eyes fall on the sugar packets. "…um, could you leave those here for us?"

Morro jabs the pen into her ribcage and takes off running.

He runs to the walkway and jumps onto the one going the other way, back the way he came. The woman is yelling, but doesn't seem to be following him. The walkway ends – "Please take caution when exiting the moving walkway," the robotic voice says – and Morro opens another door to what looks like a linen closet, but goes back much farther than any closet he's ever seen, with more doors connecting to it. Morro hides behind a shelf and listens carefully.

"I think he went this way."

"How did a kid like that even get in here?"

Morro stiffens, hearing the voices come closer. He could go through one of the other doors, or –

He sees a laundry chute next to him.

"He wouldn't go in here, would he?"

He's not going to go in the laundry chute, Morro tells himself.

"Wouldn't hurt to check."

He is definitely, under no circumstances, going to go into the laundry chute, Morro insists.

"Then you look. I already got stabbed once today."

_He isn't going to go in the laundry chute –_

* * *

Cyrus is having a meeting in his office when he gets a call from security. "Just a moment," he says to the floor managers, and picks up the phone. "Hello?"

"Sir, we have an intruder in the building. Some kid, apparently."

Cyrus frowns. "Is he a pale, skinny kid with a green streak in his hair?"

"…yes?"

"That's not an intruder, that's my guest! A friend of mine asked me to take him in for a little while."

The security guard pauses, then explains the situation. Cyrus' frown deepens, and when the phone call is over, he quietly excuses himself from the meeting and rushes out the door.


	3. We all start out the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will update this thing three days in a row and no god on earth can stop me
> 
> warnings: someone throws up in this chapter. it's not graphic. this is a pretty calm chapter for the most part.

Stuck in the laundry chute, Morro considers his options.

The space is too small to use airjitzu. He tried using his powers to propel him down the rest of the way, but that only got him stuck worse, and his hands are stuck above him, so he can't aim the jet of wind down to go back up. His phone has been ringing for the past ten minutes, it feels like, but with no way to get his arms down to get it out of his pocket – Morro groans and leans his forehead against the wall of the chute. The only light is coming from his pocket while the phone rings, going on and off between missed calls.

He dropped the basket of sugar packets, too. He still has the ones in his pockets, not that it matters when he can't get them out.

Eventually, he hears voices.

"Sir, I hear something over here –"

"In the laundry room?" That's Borg's voice, alright. Morro's phone starts ringing again.

"Do you hear that?"

"Morro?! Morro, where are you?"

"In the laundry chute," Morro mutters.

Light flickers on from beneath him, where the chute curves. "Where are you?!"

"In the laundry chute!" he yells. "I got stuck, okay!"

Morro doesn't feel humiliated or ashamed – all he feels inside is dead. It's impossible to get him through the curve, so they have to pull him back out where he went in. Morro doesn't know if he wants to die or if he wants everyone else to die. The latter would be a nice change of pace.

Once he's out, Morro is surrounded by the security guards, with Borg facing him. Borg sighs and puts a hand to his forehead. Morro crosses his arms and glares at the floor.

"Please don't do that again," Borg says.

"Which part?" Morro says. "Taking the sugar, stabbing someone, or going down the chute?"

"All of it. We have plenty of sugar in the cafeterias. What were you even doing?"

"Looking for the cafeteria."

"Alright. Next time you get lost, text me before doing anything like that again." Borg takes a deep breath. "Please."

"Maybe."

"Morro, please."

Morro shrugs.

"Well," Borg says, "unfortunately, I am still very busy, so I'll have someone show you to the cafeteria, if you're still heading that way. Please, don't get into any more trouble."

"Sure," says Morro. "Whatever."

* * *

He goes to the cafeteria and leaves with an armful of apples. Someone walking in tries to ask him what he's doing. Morro glares at them until they apologize and walk away.

In his room, he sits on the bed eating the apples and playing with his phone. Most of the apps are useless to him – Morro doesn't know or care about stocks, and the map is pointless when he has no plans to leave the tower – but there's a card game on it, and he plays that until night falls.

Despite the sun going down, light pours through the window, the city lit up bright enough that he couldn't make out any stars. It's jarring, after living in darkness for so long. Morro closes the curtains, takes the backpack out of the trash to shove the apples in, and lies on the bed.

His phone tells him it's only nine PM. Too early to be this tired.

Having a physical body comes with all sorts of quirks he had forgotten about as a ghost. He scraped his arm going down the chute, and it still stings. One of his teeth is sore. The physical sensations of being alive crash down on him all at once. Morro wraps himself in the sheets and feels the weight of the phone in his hand.

Eventually, he falls asleep.

One good thing about not living with Wu and the ninja: nobody comes barging into his room when he wakes up screaming.

* * *

Borg texts him in the morning with step-by-step instructions on how to get to the cafeteria. Morro sits in his room and eats his apples until Borg follows up his text with "are you coming?" and a tiny image of a smiling face.

"Good morning!" Borg says, already at one of the tables with food in front of him and a smile on his face. Morro decides he hates morning people.

"You're wearing the same clothes as yesterday," Borg comments when Morro sits down with a piece of toast. "You didn't sleep in them, did you?"

In lieu of answering, Morro takes a sugar packet out of his pocket and eats it whole, paper and all. Borg's face goes through a series of odd expressions before he changes the subject.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Yeah," says Morro.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you say so."

Morro finishes the toast and puts another sugar packet in his mouth. "You really shouldn't be eating paper," Borg says. "It's not good for you."

"Whatever."

"It's a symptom of a larger problem, actually. Are you getting enough iron in your diet? The compulsion to eat inedible things can be a symptom of iron deficiency."

Morro rolls his eyes. "It's less messy this way, that's all. The sugar gets everywhere if I open it."

Borg opens his mouth, then closes it and continues eating. Morro leans back in his chair and looks around. The cafeteria is fairly empty. He's pretty sure the woman he stabbed isn't here. Not that a pen really counts as stabbing someone.

"So!" says Borg, once he's finished his food. "You arrived on fairly short notice, and I wasn't able to clear up my entire schedule yesterday to accommodate that. Today, however, my schedule is free. So… what would you like to do?"

"I don't know," says Morro. "Nothing, I guess."

"There must be something. Does anything in the city interest you? We could go to the movie theater, or a museum –"

"Not the museum."

"There are lots of nice museums here, some more… niche-y than others."

"No."

"Alright. We could go grocery shopping. I noticed you brought some food up to your room last night."

Morro jerks his head up to stare at him. "What? How?"

Borg smiles. "We have security cameras on the cafeteria. One of the guards brought it to my attention. Now, there's nothing wrong with having food in your room, but if you wanted more variety…"

Morro twists around in his seat to stare at the entrance to the cafeteria. He doesn't see anything that looks like a camera, but with how much technology has progressed, he might just not be recognizing it as a camera. He turns back to the table and scowls at his empty plate.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you don't want to do that."

"No," Morro says. "I don't."

"Well, we're going to do _something_ today. You didn't say no to the movie."

"Fine."

"Then it's settled!" Borg takes out his own phone, taps it a few times, then puts it on the table so Morro can see it. "Here's what's playing. Like I said, my schedules completely free today, so we can see whatever you want. What do you say?"

Morro jabs his finger at the screen without looking. "This one."

Borg leans over and looks at his choice. "In the Heart of the Sea? Didn't think you'd be interested in that sort of movie."

"Whatever."

"There's a showtime just before noon, it looks like. Does that sound good?"

"Sure." Morro doesn't care. At least if they're watching a movie, no one will try to talk to him, and he can tune out everything else.

* * *

Morro leaves in the middle of the movie to throw up in the bushes outside the theater. People on the street look at him funny. He glares at them between heaves and they look away and keep walking.

He hears the sound of Borg's wheelchair on the pavement. "Morro, are you alright?"

His heart is pounding and he's covered in sweat. "I'm fine," he says, and goes back to retching into the plants.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize the movie would affect you like this." Borg rolls up to him and puts a hand on his back. Morro goes completely stiff until the hand is removed. "Do you want to get ice cream?"

Anything to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth. "Sure."

They get ice cream. The person behind the counter seems to know Borg, and they exchange a few words while Morro stares blankly at the list of flavors. All the words are blending together, and the roars of the ocean waves are echoing in his ears. Other roars, too, filling his head and drowning out the sound of Borg asking him what kind he wants.

"What?" says Morro.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Borg frowns, but doesn't press further. "What flavor do you want?" he repeats.

"I don't know. Chocolate. Anything."

"Chocolate for both of us, then."

Winter is slowly turning into spring, but it's still too cold to sit outside. There's no one else in the ice cream shop, even. Morro looks out the window at the cars driving by and shivers.

"Just for future reference," Borg says, "what about the movie affected you badly? So I don't accidentally take you to another movie with that sort of thing."

"The ocean," says Morro.

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind."

Morro puts a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. A few moments later, he screws up his face and puts a hand to his forehead. "Augh –"

"Brain freeze, eh?"

"Forgot about this," Morro mutters. "I hate it. Stupid – _bodies,_ with stupid quirks. I hate this. Are you laughing at me?"

Despite the vitriol with which Morro says the last words, Borg's smile doesn't disappear. "I'm more laughing at myself. I used to be the same way. Similar, at least." He taps his fingers on the table. "Physical flesh isn't always appealing, not when you can imagine a world where you can be anything. Though it's not quite the same for you, I don't think."

"Life is easier when you're dead," Morro says.

"It's easier when you can walk, too."

Morro considers this for a moment. "Probably easier when you're rich," he says. "And when you live in a giant tower with two cafeterias."

"I'll give you that. There are others in my physical situation that don't have the same privileges I have."

They eat their ice cream in silence. "I guess life is the easiest when you have all three," Morro says.

"Hopefully unlimited access to sugar packets will make up for not being dead."

Morro smirks. "Maybe."

The threat of brain freeze forces him to eat slower than he usually does. They end up finishing their ice cream at about the same time. Borg claps his hands together. "Where to next?" he asks.

"I don't care."

"How about shopping? Do you need any new clothes?"

"I don't need you to give me anything," Morro snaps.

Borg frowns. Morro pushes his chair back and puts his feet on the table.

"I have an idea, then," Borg says. "Let's go back to the tower."

* * *

He did tell Wu he could use some help around the place. Cyrus takes Morro to his office – not the one where he holds meetings, but the one he uses for actual work. There are papers and bits of mechanical devices on every table, with only the floor clear. Cyrus picks his remote off the table closest to the door and turns on the screens. Morro jumps back as they each turn on one by one.

"What do you think?" Cyrus asks.

"It's noisy," Morro says. The room is quiet, the only noise being the whirring of the computer fans.

"You mean messy?"

"Yeah, that."

"Hopefully you can help with that."

"What?"

Cyrus turns his chair around and smiles at him. Morro doesn't smile back, but he does look at him. "You don't want me to give you anything for free, right? How about this: you help me with my work, and I'll give you an allowance that you can spend on whatever you want."

Morro narrows his eyes. "You mean money?"

"Yes."

"I don't need money."

"You're going to need more clothes eventually. I saw how empty that backpack was. Do you even have a toothbrush?"

"No."

"Either you can help me out, and buy what you need with your own money, or I can buy everything for you. What would you rather do?"

Morro doesn't answer for a few moments, crossing his arms and looking around at the mess. "I'll work," he says.

"Excellent! First things first, we need to clear off one of these tables. Can you help me get these papers in order? No need to sort them right now, just stack them and put them aside. I'm going to find the trash can, wherever it went…"


	4. Give me a reason to stay alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **some major warnings in this chapter: there's a suicide attempt in it.** he doesn't die, and the chapter ends with him recovering, and sorry if that's a spoiler but I would want someone to spoil that for me.
> 
> other warnings: there's some more throwing up. a hospital stay. that sort of thing.
> 
> please be safe everyone

"Can you hand me the screwdriver?"

He feels the handle being pressed into his open palm. "Thank you," Cyrus says, and attempts to use it for about fifteen seconds before he realizes what's wrong. "Morro, this is the wrong screwdriver."

"You didn't tell me which screwdriver," Morro says, annoyed.

"I need the Phillips. Same one I was using before."

He holds his hand out again without looking up. Morro grumbles and hands him another screwdriver. Cyrus makes sure it's right, then nods and continues working. "Thank you."

He doesn't ask for anything else for a few minutes, picking up the limb of the machine and moving it in and out. He hears Morro stand up and walk away; Cyrus lets him, figuring he can call him back if he needs to.

Moments later, he feels a soft breeze against his face. "Morro," he says, looking up just in time for the paper airplane to hit him in the forehead.

"That was supposed to go over your head," Morro says, folding another piece of paper.

Cyrus unfolds the airplane. It doesn't have anything important on it, just a printout he can reprint if necessary. Still. "Why are you making paper airplanes out of my documents?"

"Because I'm bored." Morro says, throwing the next one. It does a couple of loop-de-loops before settling on Cyrus' head. He cracks a smile.

"Was that supposed to go over my head, too?"

"No. That was intentional."

The next paper airplane goes up to the ceiling and flies in slow circles around the room. Cyrus can feel the air keeping it aloft, Morro lazily following it with his hand from where he sat. Eventually, he sent it sailing down into the trashcan.

"Do you have anything else for me to do?" he asks.

"How about you work on the desk? Just get it clear so we have room to sort the papers. We can probably shred most of it, but –"

The wind is strong enough enough to blow all the papers and various debris off the desk. Screws and bits of metal clatter on the ground, and the papers blew around the room. One of them hits Cyrus in the face, but the desk was clear.

Cyrus peels the paper off and puts it on the table. "Good. Now clean up the new mess you've made."

"You told me to clear off the desk, and I did!"

"And now I'm telling you to clean up the new mess."

Morro groans, but stands up and starts picking things off the floor. Cyrus turns back to the machine, rolling back a few feet to look up at it.

"What is that, anyway?" Morro asks.

"A personal project. I'm trying to improve the factory arms to be more efficient. I haven't been able to do any actual engineering for a while, so it's nice to have the chance to work with my hands."

Morro sneezes. "How long has it been since you last worked on it? This place is covered in dust."

"Your wind kicked it up. It's only been a few weeks."

"Whatever."

"Are you cleaning up that mess?"

"Yeah, Sensei."

Cyrus turns to look at him. Morro freezes, his eyes wide.

"What –" Cyrus begins.

"Nothing!" Morro crouches down and starts scooping papers into his arms. "Forget about it!"

Cyrus decides to let it lie.

* * *

The next few days go by well. Morro doesn't stab anyone else, though Cyrus finds he has to restock the sugar packets in the cafeteria more often than usual. He calls Wu a bit less than daily, but enough times to let him know nothing's gone wrong. Slowly, the office becomes cleaner, and Cyrus and Morro fall into a routine.

Each day, they meet for breakfast and to work on the office until lunch, and then they part ways. Most days, Cyrus doesn't have to go up to the room to fetch Morro; a text when he's late is usually enough. He did have to do it once, and, well, he's at least glad Morro's comfortable enough to leave his room look like a tornado went through it. Considering his elemental powers, that might not even be too far from the truth.

The day is a Monday. Cyrus has been waiting for Morro to come down for breakfast for a half hour. He sends another text, wondering if he got lost again, then sighs and wheels himself out to the elevator.

The ride up to floor one hundred seems longer than usual. Just his imagination.

"Morro?" he says, knocking on the door. "It's nearly ten. Are you going to have breakfast?"

There's no response on the other side. Cyrus can hear muffled noises – is Morro crying? He knocks again. "Morro, are you alright in there?"

Yes, that was definitely a sob. "Morro? Do you want me to come in?"

No answer, just the sounds of crying. Half of Cyrus knows he should let the kid have his privacy. The other half wants to barge in to make sure he's alright. His anxiety wins.

"I'm coming in," he says, and he opens the door. "Morro, what's going… on?"

Morro is curled up on the bed, gasping and sobbing. His sheets are soaked with sweat, and his whole body is trembling. Cyrus first thinks he's having a panic attack, then thinks he's sick with a fever, and finally looks down at the floor as he's navigating his wheelchair through the mess and sees the empty pill bottle.

Stay calm. The last thing Morro needs is his guardian to panic. That will only make things worse.

Cyrus picks up the bottle and reads the label. It belongs to one of his employees; Morro must have taken it from one of the break rooms. He doesn't recognize the name of the medication, and there's no way to tell how much he took without knowing how much was originally in there.

"Morro, can you hear me?"

"Go away," Morro says through sobs.

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. You're not dying on my watch."

Morro wails and curls inward on himself, hugging his knees to his chest. Cyrus calls security first, a quick message to "Come to the hundredth floor _now,_ we need to take Morro to the hospital –" and calls poison control second.

In the middle of reading out the name of the medication, Morro manages to speak again. "Don't – don't tell Sensei – don't tell Wu."

"I'm sorry, give me a – I have to tell him, Morro. He's the one who trusted me with you."

"Please," Morro says. Cyrus can feel the anguish in his voice, reaching out like little tendrils and wrapping themselves around his heart.

"I won't," he says. "Not right away. I'll have to tell him eventually, but – I'll wait."

Morro moves, rolling onto his back to look up at the ceiling. His face is even paler than normal, and his cheeks are stained with sweat and tears, though his sobs have subsided.

"I don't want to go back there," he whispers.

"Yes, we're taking him to the hospital –" Cyrus looks back at Morro. "Back where?"

"I don't want to go back there. I don't want to go back there – oh God, God, I don't want to go back to her. I don't want to die again, oh God, why – why –"

Cyrus wheels over to the bed and takes Morro's hand. "You're not going back there," he says, his voice shaking. "You're not going to die. I promise you, I will not let that happen."

Morro sobs and rolls onto his side to face Cyrus, clutching his hand with both of his own.

"Please," Morro whispers. "Please. I don't – I can't – I can't do it again. Anything else, but please – I can't go back, I can't do it again, I'll do anything else –"

Cyrus can hear the elevator _ding,_ can hear footsteps coming towards the room. "You don't need to do anything –" he starts, but Morro continues babbling as if he hasn't heard.

"I'll do it right, I'll get the crystal, I'll kill the ninja, I'll do whatever you want, but I can't go back – I can't do it, not this time, not again, please, please, please –"

There are others in the room. Morro screams when he's picked up, struggling and pleading – "Please don't bring me back, please! I can't do it, not again, I don't want to go back –" and there's nothing Cyrus can say to calm him.

Cyrus follows them to the elevator, but once he realizes they're slowing down to let him keep up with them, he yells, "Don't wait for me! Just go! I'll meet you at the hospital!"

They get into the elevator without him. Cyrus takes a moment to close his eyes, take deep breaths, and convince himself that everything will be alright. It won't be, not really, not for a while – but he can hope, and he can work towards a future where everything really is okay.

* * *

He ends up having to call Wu at the hospital. "You need to give permission for me to see Morro," he says.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Cyrus' heart is pounding. He's having a hard time keeping himself together. "Morro's in the hospital. They won't let me see him because I'm not his legal guardian. You're the closest thing to a legal guardian he has."

"Borg, what happened?"

"He tried to kill himself. He stole pills from the break room and took them all." Cyrus glances back at the receptionist. "They told me he'll be alright. He's throwing up on his own and getting the poison out of his system. He's going to be fine – but you need to give permission for me to see him. They're already bending the rules for me to let you do it over the phone."

"I'm not going to stay here and do nothing –"

"Wu, he begged me not to tell you. You being here would not help. He doesn't want to see you. For the love of whatever God you believe in, respect that."

Wu is quiet for a long time. Cyrus is gripping the phone so hard his fingers are going numb.

"Alright," says Wu. "I trust you."

* * *

Morro is lying awake in the hospital bed and staring at the ceiling when Cyrus comes in. He glances over, then pushes himself up to a sitting position. Cyrus notices an IV drip in his arm. There are still tear stains on his face, but he's no longer crying.

"How are you feeling?" Cyrus asks.

Morro makes a face, grabs a plastic bucket, and throws up in it.

Cyrus has no idea what to say. Morro puts down the bucket, pushes his hair out of his face, and looks away.

"Sorry," he says.

"You don't have to apologize, Morro. You… seem to be feeling better." Cyrus attempts a smile. "I'm glad you're still with us."

Morro looks away.

"They're going to want to keep you as an inpatient. I talked to them and –"

"If they keep me here I'll burn down the building."

"– you don't have to stay here. They're willing to let you come back to the tower, as long as we make an appointment for you to see a psychiatrist."

"…okay."

"Is that alright? If there's somewhere else you'd feel safer…"

"No," Morro says. "The tower… that's probably the only option."

Cyrus moves up to the bed. It's a cramped room, and there's almost not enough space for his wheelchair. Morro looks in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry," Cyrus says.

"Why?"

"I wish I had known – that you were feeling this way. I wish I could've helped you before it got to this point." Cyrus wipes his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm so sorry, Morro."

Morro grips the fabric of his hospital gown. "This isn't your fault. The only thing you've ever done was be nice to me. This has nothing to do with you."

"If there's anything I can do to help you – anything at all, I promise, I'll do it."

"Can you hand me that bucket? I'm going to throw up again."

* * *

Morro only stops throwing up twelve hours after arriving at the hospital. Cyrus cancels all his meetings to stay there with him for the rest of the day and through the night. They don't have much to talk about; Cyrus takes several magazines from the waiting room so Morro at least has something to read until he's discharged.

Sleep is restless for both of them. Morro wakes up several times in the night, and Cyrus can't get comfortable on the bed the hospital gives him. The discharge procedure drags on and on, and finally, twenty-four hours after arriving, Morro and Cyrus leave the hospital.

Morro is quiet while they're driven home. He still has his hospital bracelet on. Cyrus reads through the papers they left with; even though he knows what happened, even though it's impossible to pretend otherwise, seeing "suicide attempt" listed as the reason for admission is horrifying.

"I'm still dizzy," Morro says.

"That's going to last for a few days. You should be drinking lots of water."

"Okay."

"Your appointment is on Thursday. I should be able to go with you."

"Okay."

"I mean it, Morro – anything I can do for you, anything at all, you just have to ask."

Morro stares out the window and says nothing.

Cyrus is not a religious man. He doesn't believe in the power of prayer. But as they drive back to the tower, Cyrus hopes, more strongly than he's ever hoped, that he has the strength to get both him and Morro through this.


	5. The hole at the center of everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im legit just shotgunning this until it's done. 5 chapters in 4 days.
> 
> warnings: we're talking about the aftermath of the suicide attempt here, so there's some stuff about that, but no other warnings, I don't think?

_Morro takes the spiky, spiraled object gingerly, his eyes darting up and down between it and his Sensei. "What do I do with this?" he asks._

_Sensei Wu smiles. "It's a seashell. If you listen to it, you can hear the ocean."_

_He puts the shell up to his ear._

_The roars surround him, overwhelm him until he's choking on them, struggling in the Preeminent's grip as she whispers of a world where everyone could feel the pain Morro had felt a thousand times over, promising him power, a title, control over his destiny – the fire burns, the water burns, and Morro is writhing in pain at the bottom on the ocean, surrounded by crushing darkness, trapped inside the drowned corpse of the Cursed Realm._

* * *

His dreams are bizarre, the night after he's discharged from the hospital. Morro wakes up from a nightmare with fear wracking his body, and he curls up under the blankets until the morning sun lights up the room, filtered through the curtains.

His phone buzzes. He sticks his hand out of the blankets to pick it up from the floor and read the text.

< Good morning, how are you feeling?

Morro almost doesn't answer, but that would be stupid. Borg would come up to his room to check on him if he didn't respond, like he did two days ago. Had it really been two days already?

fine >

< Do you want to come down for breakfast?

no >

< I thought you might not. Do you want me to bring breakfast up to you?

no >

< Are you sure? You need to eat.

im fine >

Borg comes up anyway, knocking on his door and saying, "Morro? I brought toast."

Morro stays in bed. He hears Borg open the door, the sound of his wheelchair rolling over the trash on the floor. The plate is placed on the headboard with a _clink._ Morro doesn't look at it.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really," says Morro.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Borg doesn't leave. Morro sticks his head out of the blankets to glare at him.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" he says.

"It doesn't have to be now," Borg says. "But… at some point, we do need to talk about what happened."

Morro retreats back under the covers.

"Morro…" Borg hesitates. "Things are going to be different, now. I can't let you wander the building by yourself. Not right away."

"Fine." He'll just lie in his room and rot, then.

"Do you want to help me with the office?"

He's not expecting that. Morro sits up, letting the blankets fall off him. "Why?" he asks.

Borg smiles. "Not everything has to change. If that was something you enjoyed doing, of course we should keep doing it."

Morro thinks about it for a long moment. "Okay," he says.

* * *

Helping Borg with the office turns out to mostly consist of sitting in a chair and sending paper airplanes around the room, while Borg works at the desk. His elemental powers are shaky, for some reason, and the planes don't always go where he intends them to.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Borg asks, looking up after the second time a plane hits him in the head.

"No," says Morro.

"Alright. Just wondering."

Borg takes a sip of his coffee and continues sorting the papers. It's not something Morro can help with, without knowing which documents are important enough to keep, so he's fine with just sitting there. He chews on the toast Borg brought for him and tosses another paper airplane without bothering to use his wind powers. It falls point-down and crumples on the floor.

"What's the point of all this?" he says.

"Hm?"

Morro makes a wide, sweeping gesture at the room around them. "The point of everything. Why do we even exist? What's the point?"

"Do you want to know my opinion?"

"I guess, yeah."

Borg picks up his coffee and gazes up at the ceiling. "There is no point," he says. "We exist just because it happened this way. The miracle of life happened by pure chance. We are pointless, inconsequential beings in an uncaring universe."

Morro frowns. "Are you an atheist or something?"

"Yes, actually."

"Why? Do you not like, believe in anything? Because if you don't believe in an afterlife, I've got news for you."

"Har har. I believe in unknown, unexplainable forces that power the world, and I certainly believe that what you went through as a ghost was real – I just don't believe we're here for a reason, or that there's a God behind any of this.

Morro chews on his toast and stares at him.

Borg continues. "The reality is – well, what I believe the reality is – it's that we're not here for any purpose. Nothing we do really matters, in the grandest scheme of things. I choose to consider things on a smaller scale. I can't do anything that has lasting effect on the universe and all the realms, not really. But I can help people in the here and now. My technology can give people a better life. I can bring you breakfast when you won't come out of your room."

"But if it doesn't matter, what's the point?"

"Think of the smaller scale, Morro. Eventually, the sun will go out, and nothing we do on this planet will have mattered – but it will have mattered to the people I helped." A pained expression crosses his face for a moment. "Or the people I hurt."

"But none of that matters when you die," Morro mutters, and he looks down at the table. "You're all alone. There's no one to help you. There's no one to hurt you." His voice shakes. "No one judges you for who you hurt. No one cares who you helped. It's luck, where you end up."

"Ah, but you're wrong there," Borg says. "You are judged."

Morro glares at him. "You just said you don't believe in a God –"

"I don't. But someone saw you, judged you, and decided you were worth saving." Borg sips at his coffee. "Several people did, in fact."

Morro says nothing.

"We live in a world that's wanted us dead from the start. From day one, we have defied all odds to survive as a species, to make the world better and beautiful. None of this matters to the universe, but it matters to people. The world doesn't care, but people do. Death doesn't judge, but people do."

"You're a pretty awful judge if you think I even can be saved," Morro says.

"Morro –"

"You don't understand!" he snaps, and he stands up and slams his hands on the table. "Wu told you what I've done, didn't he? I was going to curse all sixteen realms! I was going to make every living creature suffer for eternity! How is someone like me worth saving?!"

"Morro –"

"You should have let me die!"

"Morro," Borg repeats, "did Wu tell you what I've done?"

Morro snorts. "Did you bulldoze some old lady's house to make space for this tower?"

"What? No –"

"The fact that you're offended by that really just proves my point."

"Morro, I almost ended the world with my arrogance, thinking I could defy evil and be a symbol of hope." Borg took a deep breath. "I was a fool, and Ninjago almost paid the price for my mistakes."

Morro narrows his eyes. "Okay," he says, "but what did you do?"

"Goodness, Wu really didn't tell you anything."

"When does Wu tell anyone anything?"

"Well, I'll tell you myself." Borg beckons Morro over to the desk. Morro drags a chair over to sit next to him. Borg taps his fingers on the surface and takes a deep breath.

"You're familiar with the stories of the Overlord, aren't you?"

* * *

Morro goes up to his room feeling – he's not sure what he's feeling. Not confused, just… thinking, about everything Borg told him.

He had known of the Overlord, even in the Cursed Realm. He knew Lloyd had defeated him as the Green Ninja. He hadn't known about the Overlord coming back as a virus in Borg's computer systems, taking over Ninjago's entire network, turning Borg himself into a puppet.

Morro had decided not to tell Borg about how he had possessed Lloyd. Wu would have surely told him that little detail.

He thinks back to what he had first thought of Borg. How the man was too genuine and nice to have any sort of ulterior motive. Morro still didn't understand why he was being treated so kindly; at first, he had just thought Borg was stupid, but now… Borg isn't stupid. He isn't naive. But he's _trying._ He doesn't believe in a reason for existing, and yet he constantly tries to help people.

He's trying so hard to save a half-dead boy who isn't worth the effort.

There's an envelope on his bed. Morro stares at it in confusion before remembering a few days ago, when Borg had him get his picture taken for an ID card. This must be the card.

He opens the envelope and finds both the ID card and another envelope. He takes out the card first. That's his face, alright, his mouth curved down in a frown, dark shadows under his eyes, and his hair looking like it hasn't been washed in days. Which it hadn't been, at the time the picture was taken. He hasn't showered since then, either. It's a wonder Borg puts up with him.

Morro puts his ID in his pocket and falls face-down on the bed. The sudden movement makes him dizzy, and he rolls onto his back and waits for the room to stop spinning.

"This sucks," he says out loud.

He opens the second envelope. In it is another plastic card and a note.

_Morro,_

_This card is linked to your new bank account. Use it how you want, but remember to keep an eye on how much is left so you don't run out._

The rest of the note is instructions on how to log into the account to check how much money he has, and ends with Borg's signature. Morro puts it and the card back in the envelope, buries his face in his pillow, and screams.

* * *

In his larger office, the one he holds meetings in, Cyrus is talking to his secretary about the hospital bills. "He doesn't have any insurance," he says, "but we might not have to pay the full price. I talked to the hospital, and I think we can work something out. Even if we do pay full price – I'll pay it out of pocket if I have to, money's not the issue here."

"If I may," his secretary says, "this kid is not your problem."

Cyrus frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I know Wu's your friend, but you have no responsibility for Morro. He's not your kid. Wu shouldn't have dumped him on you like this."

As if Morro is a burden, as if he's something to be thrown away. A waste of resources, a broken child who would never accomplish anything good or important in the world –

"Sir?"

"Get the hell out of my office," Cyrus says.

* * *

The psychiatrist's appointment goes about as well as could be expected. First, Morro refuses to go in and talk to her alone, so Cyrus goes in with him. Then he threatens to jump out the window. The psychiatrist looks at Cyrus and says, "Are you sure he couldn't benefit from an inpatient program?"

"There's no point," Morro mutters in the car drive home. "Even if I told her anything – there's no way she would understand. There's just no point."

"The point is mostly to make the hospital happy," Cyrus says. "I told you, they would have kept you there if I hadn't made this appointment."

"So I don't have to do this again?"

Cyrus hesitates. "You do have to talk to someone. It doesn't have to be her. There are plenty of other psychiatrists and therapists in this city."

Morro rolls his eyes. "Like anyone would understand."

Cyrus looks out the window. They're almost at the tower – and then Cyrus makes a strangled, sputtering noise, because that is definitely Wu standing outside the building and talking to the head of security.

"What was that?" Morro says.

He isn't going to lie, but Cyrus doesn't exactly want to tell the truth, either. "We have an… unexpected guest," he says.

"If it's Wu, I'm going to kill myself for real this time."

"Please don't."

Morro looks out the window and catches a glimpse of him just before they drive into the garage. "Oh, God –"

"Don't do anything drastic. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to." Cyrus wrings his hands together. "I don't know why he's here – well, I know why, but I told him you didn't want to see him…"

"I'll talk to him," Morro says. His mouth is set in a hard line, and his arms are crossed over his chest as he stares straight ahead.

The car stops. Cyrus doesn't get out right away. "I mean it, you don't have to. I may not fully understand your history with him, but I can tell just thinking about him upsets you."

"I want to talk to him," Morro says. "I'll be fine."

Cyrus doesn't think he should argue any further. "Alright," he says. "If that's what you want."


	6. Of course, I'm the sinful one here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, this is the chapter I'm advising ppl to skip to if the events of chapter 4 + 5 would be upsetting or like, not safe for them to read, so here's a quick summary of what's important to know (I might be missing a lot; I'll update this if I think of other things):
> 
> Morro tried to kill himself and was taken to the hospital, he left after a day and went back to the tower, though he's being watched more closely now. He and Borg are driving back from a psychiatrist appointment when they find out that Sensei Wu's paid them a visit.

"I heard what happened," Wu says, sitting in the chair across from him. Morro is glad that they're in Borg's office for meetings, and not the one he's been helping him clean. He doesn't want Wu in there.

Morro realizes Wu is waiting for him to say something. He grits his teeth. "So you care now."

"I always cared, Morro. I still do."

 _Liar,_ he wants to say. _Liar, liar, you never cared, not about me, not about my destiny. I died alone in a dark cave and you never once bothered to look for me –_

"That's why I'm here, to make sure you're alright."

"Then you can leave now," Morro says, "because I'm doing better here than I ever was with you!"

He hears Borg inhale sharply, but Morro doesn't look at him, fixing his glare at Wu. Wu's expression is unreadable behind his beard, and Morro hates it, hates that he can't tell what he's thinking, hates him, _hates_ him –

"That's good," says Wu. "I'll leave the two of you be, then, then."

He stands up. Morro blinks, and he knows that shock is written all over his face, but he's unable to hide it.

"You're just… leaving?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No!"

"Then I'll leave." Wu nods to Borg, who looks just as shocked as Morro feels. "Zane wants you to know that he and Pixal are doing well. Thank you for taking care of Morro for me."

Morro stands up, his hands clenched into fists. He opens his mouth to say – something, anything, something to make Wu understand how much he's hurt him – no sounds come out. He wants to tell Wu that this is his fault – his death, the evil things he's done – all of it is Wu's fault, and he can't say anything.

Wu leaves. Morro is still standing there.

He doesn't notice Borg approaching him until he feels his hand on his back, a gesture that Morro doesn't have the strength to shrug off. Maybe it's the aftereffects of the pills he took, but Morro finds himself falling to his knees, burying his face in his hands, and sobbing.

* * *

He's not a ghost anymore. Water isn't going to hurt him. He's washed himself before and it was fine. Still, despite knowing it's irrational, it takes all of Morro's courage to overcome his fear and take a shower.

He ends up staying in there for a good twenty minutes, hugging himself and trembling, and he forgets to wash his hair. He figures he's good for another week.

Borg is waiting for him when he comes out, dressed in relatively clean clothes. "Ready to go?" Borg says with a smile. "We can go wherever you want. Or, well, you're probably not familiar with a lot of the stores in the city."

"Yeah," says Morro.

"How about somewhere that has music? You have that phone, but no music on it."

"You can put music on a phone?"

He scowls when Borg laughs. "Sorry," Borg says. "I just forget, sometimes, how much of this is new to you. I'm sorry for laughing. Yes, you can put music on most phones."

"Whatever." Morro walks past him to the elevator and jabs the down button. "Let's just go."

He waits for Borg to get in, holding the door open button, then hits the garage level and leans against the wall. Now that he's used to it, the speed at which the elevators move is almost fun. It feels like he's flying, sometimes.

"What kind of music do you like?" Borg asks.

"I haven't listened to much." Morro shrugs. "It wasn't really a priority. I had training to do."

"Huh," says Borg. "You've never played a video game, have you?"

"Like the card game on the phone?"

"Well, yes, but there are plenty of other games out there." Borg furrows his brow, thinking hard about something. "Maybe we should go to a game store instead."

"Let's do the music, first."

"Alright."

Borg turns on the radio when they're in the car. "Let's see if we can find something you like," he says, flipping through the stations. "Commercials, commercials – here we go!"

The song is catchy, but Morro can't tell what the lyrics are. The singer's voice sounds hoarse. He supposes it's the style, or something like that. Borg looks at him expectantly once the song is over. Morro just shrugs.

The radio starts talking about car insurance, whatever that is. "Oh, great," Borg says, changing the station. "This is a bad time  to listen to the radio, everyone's playing commercials. Here, let's try this…"

He takes out a disc and inserts it into the car's radio. Morro remembers seeing one of those before – CDs, right? Like records, but smaller.

"No commercials this way!" Borg says brightly as the first song starts playing. "This really is a classic, one of the first songs on the radio to be longer than six minutes. Or maybe it was the first? I don't remember."

The lyrics are easy to understand, even if Morro doesn't know what they're actually about. He stares at the radio, watching the seconds tick by, silently mouthing the words. When it's over, clocking eight and a half minutes, Borg is staring at him again, and Morro feels his face flush.

"Liked the song, huh?" Borg says.

"I guess."

He doesn't like the next song that plays as much. Morro looks out the window as the album continues.

They park on the street. "The store is that way," Borg says, pointing. "Now, it's a comics store, but it's got plenty of music and other merchandise, too. They might even sell records, now that those are coming back in style."

"People still play records?"

"It's a retro thing, now. It's popular because it's old."

"Okay," says Morro.

They head to the comic store. "That's not how you spell comics," Morro says, squinting up at the sign reading "NINJAGO DOOMSDAY COMIX."

"It's for the brand, Morro!"

"What's a brand? And can you stop laughing at my questions?" he snaps when Borg laughs again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you, I promise. I think it's wonderful, in a way, how much of this is new to you."

Morro rolls his eyes. "Whatever. So what is a brand?"

"It's… hmm. Like, something you'd associate with a company. A symbol, a logo… things like that. A common theme to make a company stand out and be unique."

"Okay."

The store inside is a cacophony of color, and while the kids and teenagers inside are not making a lot of actual noise, Morro can only describe it as loud. He shrinks in on himself, stuffs his hands in his pockets, and sticks close to Borg.

The man behind the counter looks up when the door closes and breaks out in a smile. "Mister Borg! So good to see you! What brings you into Doomsday?"

Everyone in the store turns to look at them. Morro steps away from Borg and pretends to be very interested in _Violet Vengeance,_ whatever comic that is. Borg glances at him, but lets him step out of the spotlight.

While Borg chats with the man, Morro goes from one comic to the next, reading the covers and looking at the pictures. These are the "Recent Arrivals," according to the sign above the shelves. He's not particularly interested in any of them.

A voice speaks up, startling him. "I like your hair."

Morro has to look down to see who's spoken; a girl with a ponytail who looks to be about seven years old, eight at most. She grins up at him. "My mom won't let me dye my hair," she says. "I want to make it green, too, but all over, not just a little bit."

"That's nice," says Morro, and he turns away.

The girl isn't put off by his condescending tone. "Do you have a favorite comic?" she asks.

"I haven't read any."

The girl gasps and claps her hands to her cheeks in exaggerated shock. "You haven't? Why are you here if you've never read a comic?"

Morro thinks about waking up in the temple, feeling the cold stone on his cheek, picking himself off the ground only to see the Green Ninja staring at him –

"Because some stupid kid felt sorry for me," he says.

"Well, I feel sorry for you too, 'cause comics are great." The girl tugs on his shirt. Morro refuses to move. "Come on, I'm gonna show you my favorite."

"Maybe I don't want to read any comics."

The girl frowns, then lets go and walks away. Morro thinks she's left him alone, but she rushes back and thrusts a comic into his face. Morro pushes it away without looking.

"This one is really good! It's about ghosts!"

Okay, that gets his attention.

Morro takes the comic and flips through it. The first page he sees involves ghosts out in the rain, so it's already inaccurate.

"These aren't at all like real ghosts," he comments.

"Have you seen a real ghost?" the girl asks.

Morro is debating how to respond when the girl continues. "'Cause I have."

"Really."

"Yeah, last New Year's! Not this year, but the year before."

That was the night Morro had summoned the Preeminent. "In Stiix," he says.

"Yeah! You heard about it, right? It was all over the news." The girl puffs up proudly. "I was there! We had to get on a boat and run away from a giant monster and our house got destroyed!"

She sounds far too enthusiastic about being so close to death. Morro puts the comic book down on the nearest shelf. "Cool," he says, and walks out the door.

There's a buzzing in his head, and he can't make out what Borg is saying as he calls after him. He chooses a direction at random and starts running.

* * *

He makes it to a noodle place.

"Good afternoon," the woman serving says when he walks in. "Care to try the best noodles in Ninjago?"

Morro takes a seat and slumps facedown on the counter. He can hear other some of the other customers whispering, but he's beyond the point of caring. It's better than wandering the city aimlessly. The buzzing in his head won't go away, drowning out all other thought.

Someone taps him on the shoulder. He tries to punch them.

The red-haired woman blocks his punch effortlessly, catching his fist in her hand. An odd expression crosses her face for a moment, then she lets go and steps out from behind the counter.

"I can tell you're having a tough night," she says, "but this isn't the best spot to wallow in misery. Come with me."

Morro stands up and lets her lead him to the back of the restaurant, through the kitchen and into a back room with a table and a few folding chairs. Morro sees a coffee machine and makes a beeline for the basket of sugar packets.

"Those are for employees," the woman says while he starts stuffing handfuls into his pockets. "Unless you want to work here, I'd leave some for them."

"Whatever."

His phone vibrates in his pocket. Morro takes it out to see two missed calls and a dozen worried texts from Borg.

"Master of Wind, right?"

Morro nearly drops his phone and whirls around to face her. "How did you –"

The woman smiles. "Sorry, I should introduce myself first. I'm Skylor, the Master of Amber, and the owner of Chen's Noodle House. What's your name, Master of Wind?"

Morro scowls and sticks a sugar packet in his mouth. "Don't think Amber's an element," he says while chewing.

"Are you really eating paper?"

"Shut up."

Skylor laughs. "To answer your question, Masters of Amber have the ability to copy other's elemental powers." She raises her hand and a soft breeze blows through the room. "That's how I know you're the Master of Wind. It's funny, I haven't met a new elemental master in a long time."

"I'm not new," Morro says. "I'm… retro."

He feels stupid the moment he says it. Skylor doesn't seem to care. "Is that your name?" she asks.

"No. My name's Morro."

"What's troubling you?"

His phone rings. He silences it without looking to see who it is – not that it would be anyone other than Borg. "Why do you care?" he asks.

"Curiosity, mostly. I was going to kick you out, but I'm interested to know what the Master of Wind is doing here in Ninjago City." Skylor sits down at the table and props her head on her hands, staring at him. "Especially since all the investigation my father did led him to believe that the Wind bloodline died out decades ago."

Morro turns back to the sugar packets.

"Seriously, stop taking those."

"I died, okay?" Morro snaps. "The Wind bloodline _did_ die out. I died and was a ghost in the Cursed Realm and tried to curse Ninjago and all the other realms, and then after I was defeated some stupid kid looked at everything I did and thought I was worth saving, and now I'm alive and I want to get hit by a truck. What else do you want to know about me?"

Skylor frowns and doesn't say anything. Morro puts four sugar packets in his mouth at once.

"So the Stiix incident was you?"

"Yes, that was me."

"Sounds rough. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Skylor stares at him. Morro grabs the basket of sugar packets and sits down at the table. "I hate this," he mutters, and the words start falling out of his mouth with no filter.

* * *

"And he just leaves! After everything he's – he's done to me, he doesn't bother to – to do anything else! Which is good, I guess, but – I wish – I wish – I just want it to be easy to hate him!"

While Morro rambles on and on, his words incomprehensible at times, Skylor takes her phone out under the table and surreptitiously texts Kai.


	7. Take only what you need from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a much less intense chapter, maybe? im not the best judge. only warnings are some mild "morro says he wants to die" stuff & mentions of hospitalization.
> 
> edit: im tracking the tumblr tag "#forgetting the coin for the ferryman" in case anyone wants to put Stuff in there. or you can @ my lego blog (legoshipping). thanks

< yeah we had to get him out of the bounty bc lloyd cant sleep w him around  
< and he hates all our guts  
< feelings mutual buddy  
< feelings  
< MUTUAL  
< so like u want me to come get him out of there or smth

Skylor glances up at Morro, who isn't paying any attention to her or the conversation she's having under the table as he monologues.

That won't be necessary, Kai. >  
I just need to know who he's staying with. >  
Someone's clearly looking for him, judging by all the calls he's ignoring. >

< sensei got borg to take him  
< i can probs get in contact w him  
< u sure u dont need me to show up  
< bountys not too far from the city

Just let Borg know he's at Chen's Noodle House. >  
He's not trying anything. >  
I can handle him if he does. >

< i kno u can babe

:/ >

< lol sorry  
< ill tell him

Skylor sends "Thanks," and puts her phone away. Morro is still talking, though she hasn't heard most of it.

"…and I told him that life is easier when you're dead, which is _true_ , and – I don't know, maybe the hardest thing is crossing the border between life and death, which makes sense, I guess, but I still hate it. I just want to be dead without having to actually die again."

"Sounds like talking about it is good for you," Skylor says. "Unfortunately, I have to go back to work. Feel free to stay here in the meantime, but go easy on the sugar."

Morro blinks. "Fine," he says, and he slumps facedown on the table. Skylor shakes her head and goes back out to the restaurant.

Borg arrives about ten minutes later, catching the attention of the customers; he's a fairly well-known figure in Ninjago City, after all. Skylor goes up to meet him before he can say anything. "He's in the break room," she says. "He's alright. Might be hyper from all the sugar he's eating."

"Oh, thank goodness," Borg says, visibly relieved. "I've been looking all over! Thank you so much."

"If you can wait out here for a moment, I'll go fetch him."

Morro is in the same position Skylor left him in. He doesn't even look up when she walks in. "Your ride's here," she says.

Morro mumbles something and doesn't move.

"Your time's up. I'm kicking you out. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Fine," he snaps, and he stands up. Skylor notices the amount of sugar packets in the basket has visibly lessened. "How'd he even find me?"

He's not expecting an answer, Skylor knows, but she answers him anyway. "I'm friends with Kai. I asked him if he knew you, and he was able to relay a message to Borg."

Morro jerks back, his eyes wide. "You know the ninja?!"

"Yep. Now let's get going. Borg is very worried about you."

She holds the door open. Morro scowls at her, but leaves without Skylor having to drag him out, which she was ready and willing to do.

While Borg bombards Morro with questions – "What happened? Are you alright? Why didn't you answer your phone?" – Skylor steps into the kitchen and quickly puts together a fortune cookie.

"Here," she says as they're leaving, handing the bag to Morro. "For the road."

Morro takes it and peers inside. "Thanks, I guess."

Skylor smiles. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

"You know you're in trouble, right?" Borg says as they're driven home.

Morro puts as much distance between them as possible, pressing himself against the car door.

"I'm serious! You can't run off like that and not tell me where you are!"

"Well, I did."

"And you're in trouble for it! Do you realize how worried I was? For all I knew, you could've gone and –" Borg's voice catches in his throat. "– hurt yourself!"

"Well, I didn't."

"I didn't know that!"

Morro doesn't look at him, staring out the window.

"Listen," Borg continues, "I need you to understand. When I call or text you, and you don't answer, I'm going to think of when I tried to call you to breakfast, and you didn't answer, and I found you in your room – you have to understand how that makes me feel. From now on, when I call or text you, I need you to answer, or else I'm going to assume the worst."

"And what if I don't?" Morro says.

"Then you're going to have to be admitted to the hospital's inpatient program."

A chill runs through his body. Morro whips his head around and glares at Borg. "You wouldn't –"

Borg's expression is hard. "Morro, I am doing, and will continue to do my best to help you. But if you're not willing to work to get better, if you're not willing to help yourself – then there's a limit to what I can do. If that's the case? I will just have to hope the hospital can help you more than I can."

Morro feels rage storming inside him, and he clenches his fists to stop himself from using his powers. Wind still leaks out, hissing through his fingers. "Fine," he spits out.

"Fine what?"

"I'll answer my phone." He turns back to the window. "Or you can get rid of me. I don't care."

"I don't want to get rid of you, Morro –"

"Why not?" Morro snaps. "You know what I've done! You don't have to pretend to care about me! Probably everyone would be better off if you dumped me somewhere and left me to die!"

"I would never do that!" Borg says, raising his voice. "Listen to me, Morro – you know I don't believe in God. You know what I do believe in? People. I believe we are all infinitely deserving of good things, just for existing. We didn't ask to exist. We didn't ask to be put on this planet to struggle. But here we are – and we deserve to make the best of it, and have the happiest lives we can. I believe in people, Morro. I believe in you."

Morro realizes he can feel tears forming in his eyes; he furiously wipes them away. "You shouldn't," he says.

"Well, I do, and you're just going to have to live with that." Borg's voice softens. "So please, answer your phone from now on."

"Fine."

"Thank you."

The rest of the ride goes by in silence. At some point, Morro remembers the fortune cookie in the bag; he takes it out and opens it. He almost discards the fortune without reading it – he's had enough inspirational life advice for the day – but stops when he sees that the text is handwritten.

 _In case you want to talk,_ it says, and a phone number.

* * *

He texts her when he gets back to his room.

this is skylor right >

The response comes after a few minutes.

< Yes.  
< I take it you got my message?

yeah >  
why do you care though >

< I told you. Curiosity.  
< That's what drives most friendships, right?  
< Two or more people are curious to find out more about each other.

Morro frowns. That seems wrong, somehow, but he hasn't had much experience with having friends. Not even Sensei Wu's other students liked him much.

His phone buzzes again.

< Also, I could use someone to teach me how to use my new wind powers ;)

figure it out yourself >  
mine have been weird >

< Do you want to talk about it?  
< We can do it over text, or you're free to stop by the noodle house again.  
< Hopefully as a paying customer this time.

i dont know >  
i cant go by myself >  
dont want to go with anyone else >

< Why can't you go on your own?

i cant be left alone anymore >  
dont ask why >

< Okay.  
< Can I ask the reason you've texted me?

Morro takes a deep breath.

i wanted to talk >  
its weird over text though >  
this keyboard is hard >

< Give me ten minutes and I'll be able to call.

okay >

* * *

Morro doesn't answer his text to come down for dinner. Cyrus goes up to his room and is prepared to lecture him more, but just as he's about to knock on the door, he hears Morro's voice from inside the room.

"That was how I got out of the Cursed Realm," he's saying. "When that portal opened. I almost – well, no, I wasn't going to miss it. But no one could tell what was on the other side when it opened, so I hesitated." He pauses. "I was still going to do it, obviously, so it wasn't that. But if it was raining on the other side or something, that would've been it, plan failed, you know? So I wanted to wait for a moment, and – she was angry. I had never seen her so angry, at the time. I saw her much angrier later, of course." Another pause. "The Preeminent. Who else? Sorry about your dad, by the way."

Cyrus clears his throat and knocks. "Morro?"

"Hang on –" He raises his voice. "Yeah?"

Cyrus decides not to mention the missed texts. "Just wanted to know if you'd be coming down for dinner," he says.

"In a little bit, yeah. Give me a second."

"Alright."

As he waits by the elevators, Cyrus tells himself he shouldn't be hurt. Who Morro talks to isn't important, as long as he talks to someone who's willing to listen.

* * *

Their routine comes back, if slightly altered. Cyrus calls Morro down for breakfast. For a few days, they continue working on the office; eventually, they reach the limit of how much they can clean, with even the papers all sorted and neatly filed, shredded, or folded into an airplane, and Cyrus has to think of something else he can assign Morro to help him with.

"Have you used a computer before?" he asks, setting up a mouse and keyboard for one of the screens.

"The phone's a computer, right?"

"Technically, yes, but that's not what I meant." The computer refuses to recognize the keyboard. Cyrus unplugs it and plugs it back in a few times, then shrugs and puts it aside. "Can you see if we have another keyboard around here? I seem to recall we found one while cleaning, and this one isn't working."

"Yeah, okay."

Once they find a keyboard that connects properly, Cyrus rolls back from the desk and gestures for Morro to pull up a chair. He does, sitting in front of the keyboard and looking up at the screen. "What do I do?" he says.

"I need you to run some programs on this while I monitor the output," he says, gesturing at the mechanical factory arm set up in the corner of the room. "It's not anything difficult, but I don't want to have to go back and forth between the computer and the arm."

He could have done it by himself with a remote, but he wants Morro to have something to do. Morro nods and looks at the keyboard. "How do I do that?"

"I've opened it up to the first program I'm testing. Just move the cursor over to the button that says 'run.'"

Morro presses the spacebar.

"No, using the mouse."

"The what?"

Right, Cyrus thinks. Dead for fifty years, never used a computer before. "Here, I'll show you."

Even though he's starting from nothing, Morro quickly picks up how to use the computer. Granted, Cyrus doesn't teach him much more than the basics at first – click with the mouse, type things with the keyboard. Cyrus is patient, and does his best not to laugh at Morro's many questions.

"Why is it called the mouse?" Because the people who first designed them though the wire looked like a mouse's tail.

"What happens if I click this?" Please don't. "Why not?" You'll close the window, and – okay, that's fine, I'll just reopen it for you.

"Why won't the words show up when I type them?" Because you don't have a textbox selected. "Then what are these buttons for?" For typing when you do have a textbox selected, along with using shortcut commands. "Using what?" I'll explain later.

"What's the internet?"

That question catches Borg off guard. "You don't know what the internet is?" he says in surprise, and quickly catches himself. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised – you know what, Morro, we can test these programs later."

"What? Why?"

"Teaching you how to use a computer is a more valuable use of our time here. Here, click on the browser – no, that's not the browser, click there instead…"


	8. I've got storm clouds that are brewing behind my eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [updates twice in one day while dabbing furiously]
> 
> warnings: minor reference to animal death (specifically a bird)

Cyrus hopes Morro doesn't mind that the work they were doing together has turned into Cyrus giving Morro computer lessons. After a few days, Morro has mostly mastered the art of figuring out what he can and can't click, and while Cyrus wouldn't trust him with his own computer – at least not one without decent antivirus software – Morro is intelligent, if a bit too curious of random downloads he finds online.

One morning, when they go down to the office, Morro lies down on the floor and stares at the ceiling. "Did you get enough sleep?" Cyrus asks.

Morro sighs, and Cyrus thinks he probably didn't, because normally that kind of question would be met with something along the lines of, "Shut up, I'm fine."

"You can go back to bed if you want."

"Why did you fight the Overlord?"

A chill grips his heart. "Why do you ask?" Cyrus says, trying to keep his tone casual.

"The Overlord could have killed you. Almost did. Why did you fight back? Wouldn't it have been easier to go along with him?"

"In a way, it might've been easier, yes." Cyrus' hands are shaking. "Easier on my conscience, though, it would not be."

"So you fought back because…"

Cyrus takes a deep breath. "Knowing what the Overlord wanted to do to Ninjago, knowing the depths of his evil, and knowing that it was my hubris that allowed him to return in the first place – I felt I had to do everything in my power to stop him."

"But…"

Morro trails off. Cyrus has a feeling this conversation isn't over, as much as he wants it to be, and he folds his hands in his lap and waits for him to continue.

Morro sits up and locks eyes with him. "I didn't fight the Preeminent," he says. "I knew what she wanted to do. I knew she needed my help to do it. And I helped her willingly. Sure, she threatened me, but –" He averts his gaze. "I would have done it anyway."

Cyrus takes a moment to process this before he responds, speaking slowly. "And if you had the chance to do it all over again, knowing what you do now, what would you do differently?"

"I would do it right," Morro says. "I would do everything right, and I would win, and Ninjago and all the other realms would be cursed."

He meets Cyrus' gaze again and smiles bitterly. "But that wasn't the answer you wanted to hear, was it?"

In a way, this is progress. Morro would have never opened up like this a week ago. Cyrus knows that what he says next is hugely important, and he can't afford to mess it up and destroy the relationship they've developed. So, obviously, the first words out of his mouth are, "You know, it would be awfully easy for you to kill me."

Morro's expression turns from bitterness to utter confusion. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"You're going through a lot of effort to convince me that you're not worth saving. That you're irredeemable, and I should leave you to die." Cyrus leans forward and clasps his hands together. "But you've done nothing to harm me, a disabled old man who has no way to defend himself. Why not?"

"You're not that old," Morro says. "I'm probably older than you, technically."

"Not the question I asked."

Morro is breathing hard and fast. "Why should I answer that?"

"You've asked me some uncomfortable questions. It's only fair for me to ask some in return."

"Are you seriously asking me why I haven't killed you?!"

"Yes, I am. And I expect a serious answer."

Morro grits his teeth and closes his eyes. "It's – it's obvious, isn't it? You're the only – the only person who gives a damn about me – even if I don't know why. And every time I think – that I need to do something horrible, something to get you to hate me, something to get you to throw me away and stop _caring_ – I can't do it. Because I'm – I'm stupid, I'm weak, and it's no wonder I couldn't be the Green Ninja, if I'm – if I'm like this –"

He cuts himself off with a sob. Cyrus rolls over, locks his wheels, and gets out of the wheelchair to sit next to Morro.

Morro looks away and rubs his eyes on his sleeve. "I hate this," he says, as Cyrus puts an arm over his shoulders. "I hate that you care. You're just making it harder for me to leave."

"What makes you think you have to leave?"

"What makes you think I want to stay?" Morro fires back.

"If you want to leave, and you have someplace else to go, I won't stop you."

"You know there's nowhere else I can go."

"Then I guess you're stuck with me."

Morro looks at him, his face scrunched up in what must be an effort to stop tears from falling. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he asks.

"Do I need a reason?"

"Yes, actually."

"I told you. I believe in people. I believe everyone has the potential to be good, and that everyone deserves a chance to be happy." Cyrus frowns. "There are exceptions, of course. You are not one of them."

"But that's not – that's not an actual reason! Why me? Why me and not someone else? _Anyone_ else?!"

"How do you want me to answer? Maybe if I had met someone else before you, some other angry young man, I would have told Wu that I couldn't take you in. Maybe, if you weren't here, someone would have come later. But I didn't, and here you are. You don't need to question it so much."

He puts both arms around Morro and pulls him into a hug. Morro lets him, pressing his forehead against Cyrus' chest and shaking with barely-restrained sobs.

"You told me what you'd do if you could do it over again," Cyrus says. "But what would you do if you woke up tomorrow and you had another chance?"

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No. In the first scenario, you would be changing your past decisions. In this scenario, you're deciding what you do now, in the future. If you had the choice tomorrow, to do what you wish you had done in the past, to curse Ninjago and all the other realms – what would you do?"

"You already know, stupid," Morro says. "I'm not strong enough to do anything that would make you hate me."

"You see?" Cyrus smiles. "That's the answer I wanted to hear."

"Shut up," says Morro in a trembling voice. "I wish you would hate me."

It's messy, and it's painful, and it might get so much worse before it gets better, but progress is progress, and as Morro sobs into his chest, Cyrus believes in a bright future for both of them.

* * *

"Okay, but what would you do exactly?"

Morro blinks, lying on his back on the floor, and turns his head to look at Skylor, lying beside him. "The Preeminent was only stopped by the Water Ninja," he says, "so obviously, if I did it over again, I'd kill her first, before she got anywhere close to unlocking her true potential."

"You say that like you succeeded in killing any of the others."

"So what would you do?"

Skylor hums to herself. "I'd probably get rid of Clouse, first, so that my father would only have me to trust in. Then I'd turn against him and take over the island, before the final tournament even started. Then… I don't know. What would you do after you won?"

"Show Sensei how much I accomplished without him, and tell him I hate him, and that it's his fault I'm like this. And then feed him to the Preeminent and lock his ghost up where he has to watch all the realms be cursed."

"That's dark."

"Don't tell your friends."

"Don't worry, the ninja don't know anything about this. Like I _could_ tell them. Yeah, Kai, I regularly meet up with the guy who possessed your best friend, tried to kill all of you, and fantasizes about killing your sister."

"I don't _fantasize,_ I'm just saying, killing her first is the most logical course of action –"

"It's still a fantasy. You lost. The Preeminent's dead."

"Whatever," Morro grumbles.

"Besides," Skylor says, "this life isn't so bad, is it?"

Morro doesn't answer her.

* * *

Eventually, Cyrus lets Morro be alone in the tower again, telling himself over and over that he's gotten much better, and Cyrus shouldn't worry about him doing anything to hurt himself. He still does, spending the entire meeting staring at the clock and not paying attention to what his shareholders are trying to tell him.

He calls Morro the moment the last person leaves the room. "How you doing?" he says cheerfully.

"I saw a bird crash into a window and die," Morro says.

"Oh, goodness –"

"I mean, I didn't see it die, but if it fell forty floors, it's probably dead."

"I'm so sorry –"

"Why?"

Cyrus takes a deep breath. "I'm just… worried. Sometimes, things like that feel like a bad omen."

"It was just a pigeon." He can almost hear Morro rolling his eyes. "Sometimes birds just crash into buildings and die for no reason. For an atheist, you're awfully superstitious."

* * *

The man meets Borg in the cafeteria, shakes his hand, and turns to Morro and says, "So, is this your son?"

"No," says Morro, before Borg can say anything. His palms are sweaty, for some reason, and while he tries to explain the situation, the words catch in his throat and he has to cover them up with a cough.

Borg quickly intervenes. "Morro is my guest," he says. "He's, ah, the son of a friend of mine –"

"Wu is not my father," Morro snaps, and he barely makes it to the bathroom before the panic attack hits.

Bad enough that, technically, Wu is his legal guardian, he thinks, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The blood has drained out of his face and his hands are shaking. He turns the hot water on and runs his hands under it until they're red and throbbing.

"I'm sorry," Borg tells him once he's able to excuse himself from the lunch interview. "It was the easiest explanation for why you're staying with me. I didn't mean to imply that Wu was –"

"He wanted to be," Morro says, and decides not to elaborate further. Borg seems to understand.

A few days later, when they meet for breakfast, Borg has a small stack of papers with him. "I checked the records," he says, when Morro asks what they're for. "Technically, you don't have a legal identity, so nobody has custody of you. Legally, you don't exist."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way. What I'm trying to say – not having a legal identity will cause all sorts of problems for you in the future, if you wanted to get a driver's license, or a job, or anything like that. So! We're going to fix that!"

He slides one of the documents across the table. Morro picks it up and squints at it. "What is this?"

"We're making you an official person, social security number and everything!"

Morro looks up to see Borg beaming at him. "Why?" he asks.

"Like I said, it'll only cause more problems if you don't have one." His smile falters. "And, well, this would solve the problem with your legal guardian, or lack thereof."

Morro frowns. "So it wouldn't have to be Wu."

"Please think about this decision carefully. You don don't have to have a legal guardian at all. There's no real problem with fudging your age and saying you're eighteen. Your future is yours."

The print on the form is blurring together. His head is buzzing with noise. "What makes you think I have a future?" he says.

"Morro, you're still young. I know you've been through much more pain than anyone deserves, but you're here now, and there are unlimited opportunities open to you." Borg takes a deep breath. "You told me you were only sixteen when you died – but you're alive now. You can grow up, go to school, get a job. And I'd be glad to support you whatever you choose to do – the Borg family name can open a lot of doors."

The room is spinning. Morro puts the form back down and stands up.

"Morro?"

"I can't do this," he says. "Not again."

The papers blow off the table. Morro takes a few shaky steps backwards before turning and running. Borg calls after him – Morro stumbles, catches himself, and keeps going.

The roof door is still locked. Morro doesn't know what he expected. He sits at the top of the stairwell, where Borg can't follow him, and stares at his hands.

_And I'd be glad to support you whatever you choose to do – the Borg family name can open a lot of doors._

_It doesn't matter if you're not the Green Ninja. You can still be my student. We can still be a family._

_What makes you think I want to stay?_

His thoughts jumble together, and all Morro knows is that he can't stay here any longer.


	9. My heart is breaking but there's no use crying about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was more of a downer than I expected. nothing super bad happens that I feel I should warn about but morro makes some bad decisions.
> 
> also I love all your comments and they motivate me so much and when I'm updating 4 times in 3 days I really need that motivation. Thank U

He gets an odd look from the man behind the counter. "You know what happened to Stiix, right? There's nothing there anymore. Even the salvage operation ended months ago."

"Are you going to sell me the ticket or not?"

"Whatever, kid, I'm just saying, there's nothing for you there."

Morro snatches the ticket out of his hand and goes to wait for the train

The last of the winter snow melted weeks ago, but it's still too chilly for Morro's tastes, and he's not dressed warm enough; he's wearing only a Borg Industries turtleneck he stole from the tower's gift shop and the sweatpants that he's been wearing for the past week and a half. He shivers and wraps his arms around himself, curling up on the bench and leaning against the wall.

Someone else walks in and sit next to him. Morro unwraps himself, his limbs stiff from cold, and stands up. Not like there aren't plenty of other benches to sit on, he grumbles to himself.

He doesn't get very far away when he hears the woman say, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Morro says, and he turns to glare at her – but the woman isn't looking at him, she's looking at the curled-up body next to her.

It takes Morro a very long moment to recognize the body as his own.

Even after he realizes what he's looking at, he continues staring blankly while the woman reaches out and nudges his body's shoulder. His eyes are closed and his mouth is slightly open, and Morro can't tell if he's breathing or not. Apparently the woman can't, either, because her next action is to check his neck for a pulse.

"Okay, that's good," she says. Morro snaps out of it.

He looks down at his translucent hands, colored a sickly green. Presumably, the woman found a pulse, unless she's relieved to find a dead body, which, no. So he's not dead – but he is a ghost. Can anyone see him? He walks up and waves a hand in front of the woman's face while she continues attempting to rouse his body. No reaction.

Is he inaudible, too? "Can you hear me?" he shouts in the woman's ear. Nothing.

"Maybe I should call the hospital," the woman says to herself.

"No!" Morro shouts, despite knowing she can't hear him. "Don't – augh!"

He needs to wake up. Morro moves to his body and puts a hand on his own shoulder. He concentrates, remembering the familiar sensations of being incorporeal, and lets himself fall back inside.

* * *

Morro jerks awake with a gasp. "Oh!" the woman says. "Are you alright?"

His voice comes out in a croak. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't sound too good. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine. Go away."

"Well, whatever. Just trying to help."

She gets up and moves to a different bench. Morro sits up. His limbs are stiff and his head is pounding and he has no idea what just happened, or if it will happen again.

Well. He'll deal with that when it happens. Right now, his train is here.

* * *

Borg calls him a number of times. Morro silences every call until the train has departed and he's on his way to Stiix – and even then, he hesitates before answering.

"Morro! Thank goodness – are you alright? Where are you?!"

"I'm leaving," Morro says. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"I don't have to – what do you think I'm doing right now! Tell me where you are!"

"On a train."

"Where are you going?! Morro, please – we can talk about this later, please come back –"

"No."

"Morro!"

He ends the call.

Almost immediately, his phone starts ringing again. Morro sets it to vibrate and shoves it in the seat pocket in front of him.

There's not a lot to do on the trip; apart from the clothes on his back, his phone was the only thing he brought with him, and he doesn't want to watch missed call after missed call go by. So he slouches down in the seat and stares out the window, watching the buildings fade away into desert.

At some point, his phone goes quiet. When Morro takes it out, he finds it's run out of battery.

* * *

It's nightfall when he reaches Stiix. He's the only one left on the train. For a few minutes, he stands at the station and looks at the docks, shrouded in darkness, listening to the ocean waves _crushing blackness, cold that burns, his incorporeal form unable to sustain itself but struggling to reform over and over as the water destroys it_ –

Morro forces himself to move.

The boards creak under his feet. Most of the houses are gone, and the ones that remain are gutted, their belongings either stolen or in the hands of their rightful owners. Morro guesses it's the former.

This was a stupid idea.

What was he _thinking?_ Yeah, he could go live in Stiix, a literal ghost town, completely abandoned and with Morro a living, breathing human being who needs things like "food" and "sleep." Morro takes out his phone and remembers it's out of battery. He can't even call to ask Borg to pick him up, he has to buy another train ticket and go crawling back in the morning. Morro wants to scream. Instead, he grits his teeth and stares at the ground.

_morro_

He jerks his head up at the sound of his name.

"Who's there?" he yells. His voice echoes through the skeletal remains of the buildings.

_morro_

_come back_

_morro_

Morro grits his teeth. "Skylor, is that you?! Did Borg send you to fetch me or something?! Ugh, I shouldn't have said I was on the train –"

_traitor_

Cold terror grips his heart, fills his lungs. Morro can't breath, can only stand there frozen, as more voices join in a chorus –

_traitor, morro_

_come back to us_

_stay with us_

_morro, morro_

_traitor, come back, traitor_

They're coming closer. Where are they coming from?! They can't be coming from below the dock, there's only water there – Morro spins around, wide eyes scanning his surroundings, but there's not a soul to be seen. He swallows, his mouth dry.

_morro_

The voice sounds like it's coming right in front of him – Morro jumps back, stumbles, and puts one foot on a piece of board that bends beneath his weight. He has just enough time to start panicking before it breaks.

_morro, traitor, morro_

Morro hangs off the edge of the dock, his heart pounding. He can hear the water lapping at the poles that hold up the docks, and he can hear the chorus of voices, louder, closer – Morro desperately tries to pull himself up, flails his legs trying to find a foothold, but there's nothing, and _traitor, traitor, stay with us, suffer with us_ is echoing in his head and all around him –

"There you are!"

Something grabs his ankle and he _screams_ –

* * *

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine, just a little freaked out 'cause he almost fell off the dock. Oh man, Skylor, you should've seen the look on his face – when I found him, some strangleweed had gotten his foot and he was screaming like he'd seen a – okay, yeah, I won't say it. Okay. Yeah, I'll say hi to Borg for you."

"I hate you so much," Morro says.

Kai lowers the phone for a moment to swivel in his seat and grin at him. "Feeling's mutual, buddy! The feeling is one hundred percent mutual. Sorry, Skylor, what were you saying?"

Morro grimaces and scoots back, as far away from Kai as he can manage without falling off the fire dragon's back. Kai seems to be taking his sweet time bringing him back to the tower, and Morro is seriously considering trying to jump off and walk the rest of the way home.

His stomach lurches when he realizes he just thought of the tower as home.

"Oh-kay, Ninjago City is within sight! I'll talk to you later, Skylor!"

Kai hangs up. Morro prays to whatever higher power there may be that he won't try and make conversation.

"So, Stiix, huh?"

Morro is starting to understand why Borg is an atheist.

"What's going on there? Were you gonna try and dig up some of your old friends or something?"

"No."

"If you were looking for Ronin, he's long since gone somewhere else, and also he hates you."

"I wasn't looking for anyone."

"Just chilling, huh?"

Morro doesn't answer.

"I mean, I'm not judging, but there's loads of better places to go for a swim –"

"Shut up."

Kai laughs. Morro wants to punch him.

The dragon ends up doing a few loops around the block, showing off for the citizens. Kai starts waving to people on the street below. Morro hunches over, closes his eyes, and wonders if he can do whatever he did at the train station again so he doesn't have to deal with this.

"Here we are!" Kai says triumphantly once they've landed in front of the tower. "Let's get this runaway back home!"

The dragon is dispelled before Morro can climb down, and he lands hard on the sidewalk. Kai doesn't bother helping him up – at least he doesn't feel sorry for him, Morro thinks as he picks himself off the ground. That would be a thousand times worse.

Borg is waiting in the lobby. Morro can't look at him.

"Oh my goodness, thank you, Kai – Morro, what were you thinking? Morro, look at me – what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Morro mumbles.

"Well, my work here is done!" Kai makes finger guns and walks backwards out the door. "See you around, hopefully never! And – ack!"

Morro cracks a smile as the gust of wind sends the revolving door slamming into Kai's face.

* * *

"Please, Morro, I just want you to tell me what's going on."

They're sitting in one of the break rooms; Morro doesn't remember if he's been in it or not. There must be dozens of break rooms in the tower. Hopefully it's not the one he took the pills from. Morro curls up on the couch and stares at his knees.

"Morro," Borg pleads, "you need to talk to me."

"Leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that. Morro, why did you leave?"

He doesn't answer.

"I'm sorry, Morro, I didn't mean to push you. I know that creating a legal identity for yourself – it's a big thing! It should be treated seriously, and, well, I may have gotten ahead of myself." Borg sighs. "I'm sorry. I really am. But when I do something that upsets you, you can't do something drastic like what you did today. You need to tell me what I did wrong."

"It's not important."

"You tried to run away to Stiix! I'd say that's damn important!"

Morro has never heard Borg swear before. He doesn't let it affect him. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

"Because I care about you, Morro!"

Morro lifts his head up and glares at him. "Maybe I don't want to be cared about!" he says. "Maybe I want to be left alone so I can ruin my own damn life and not have to worry about people caring about some stupid kid who should have been left for dead! You're not my father!"

Silence. Borg takes a few deep breaths.

"Go to your room," he says.

"What?!"

"Or stay here, if you want. But this conversation is clearly going nowhere." Borg turns and wheels to the door. Morro watches him go, not quite comprehending what's happened. "We can continue in the morning. Goodnight, Morro."

The door shuts behind him, and Morro is left alone.

He spends the night on the couch.

In his sleep, he can hear the chorus calling him, voices reaching out like a hundred hands, brushing his skin and leaving goosebumps where they pass. _morro,_ they whisper. _traitor,_ they whisper. _come back to us, face what you've done, morro, traitor, worthless brat_ –

* * *

As he's getting ready for bed, Cyrus carefully puts his glasses aside before the first tears of many escape him.


	10. I know it says "DANGER," is that supposed to ward me off?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no witty messages here. I love your comments. if you want me to see your stuff related to this au you can put it on tumblr and tag it with "#forgetting the coin for the ferryman" or just @ legoshipping. That's All.

There's someone in the room with him.

Morro shifts on the couch. The lights are still off, and there's no windows in this room, so he doesn't know if it's morning yet. Someone is in the room though; he can hear their footsteps in the dark.

He sits up, blinking awake. "Who's – hey!"

Whoever it is, they grab his head and force his face towards them, meeting his eyes with their own. Morro squirms out of their grasp and pushing them away. "Who are you?" he demands of them.

"Interesting," they say, their voice soft, almost a whisper.

"That's not an answer. What are you doing here?"

In the dim light, he sees the figure shake their head and chuckle. "I was sent here," they say. "What your friend did, well, it didn't exactly go unnoticed."

"I don't have friends," Morro snaps. "Unless you mean Skylor –"

"Oh, so Lloyd Garmadon isn't your friend? He went to all that trouble to bring you back, too."

Morro sputters, rage making it impossible to speak for a moment. "No! Never! He's just some stupid brat who felt sorry for me!"

The person laughs out loud. "You want to know who I am?" she says. "Nova. I used to study at the Temple of Resurrection, but now, my studies are mostly focused on necromancy."

"Of course they are." Morro gets up and puts some distance between them, taking a few steps backwards. "So what are you doing here?"

Nova moves closer. Morro backs up more.

"I wanted to see you in the flesh," she says. "You know, what Lloyd did should've failed. Usually, the Temple requires something physical that belonged to the dead – the body itself is the most appropriate, but in cases where that's not possible, a prized possession can do just as well." Morro's eyes are adjusting to the dark, and he can see Nova smirk. "Not only that, but Lloyd didn't listen to the instructions, the warnings, nothing written on the walls. He found the power, he grasped it, and he forced it to do what he wanted."

"So what?"

"You should not be here, Morro. You are a very special kind of miracle – or should you be called a curse?"

Morro decides it's time to leave.

He steps to the side. Nova mirrors the movement. He scowls and moves to slip past her. She blocks his way.

"What do you want with me?"

Nova smiles. "She wants you back, you know."

_– oh God, God, I don't want to go back to her, I don't want to die again, oh God –_

"She's dead!" Morro yells. "Dead and rotting at the bottom of the ocean!"

"So were you, until recently." Nova lifts her hand and flicks his nose before he can jerk his head out of reach. "I'm a necromancer, zombie boy. Death may be an obstacle, but it didn't stop me. How could it stop her?"

Morro tries to shove past her and get to the door. She grabs his arm and yanks him back towards her.

"We have places to go, Morro! I can't have you getting away just yet."

Morro stiffens, then lets his body go limp. While Nova catches him before he hits the floor, Morro's ghost darts to the door and runs down the hall.

* * *

Cyrus' dreams are filled with hospitals and ruined cities and sad angry teens falling backwards off the roof and into the water below, and it's a relief when he wakes up with his upper body dangling off the bed and his head aching from where he banged it against the headboard.

He tries to pull himself back up on the bed, but his body doesn't respond. His face is contorted in an unfamiliar expression, and Cyrus thinks in terror that he's having a stroke.

His body takes a deep breath. "Stop freaking out, it's just me," says his voice with words that do not come from his own thoughts.

Cyrus freaks out. "Morro?!" he blurts, regaining control and falling all the way off the bed.

 _I said don't freak out!_ Morro says in his head, sounding more annoyed than anything else. Cyrus can feel a trace of fear, though, separate from Cyrus' own emotions.

"What are you – how are – what happened – are you – ?!"

 _I'm not dead. I did this once before and I was fine._ Morro pauses. _But someone might be trying to kidnap me._

"What?!"

He doesn't get an explanation in words, but Cyrus sees the memory – this strange woman, coming into the break room, flicking his nose and grabbing his arm, calling herself Nova – _She wants you back, you know_ –

Another memory follows, of agonizing darkness, distorted wailing all around him, lifting his eyes to the surface and reaching for the light and joining his voice to the chorus –

Morro snatches that last memory away. _We need to get help,_ he says. _Let me –_

"No!" Cyrus says quickly, feeling Morro grab for control over the body. An old fear resurfaces, of being nothing more than a puppet – "Please – Morro, don't!"

Morro doesn't. Cyrus takes a deep breath and picks himself off the ground. Once he's up, he spots his phone fallen off the bedside table. His hands shaking, he calls the security office.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but can you check the feed for the break room on floor thirty-six? I have reason to believe there's an intruder in the building."

* * *

Nova is apprehended the moment she gets off the elevator, carrying Morro's body in her arms. Morro watches through Borg's eyes, at the security feed, feeling the man's fear and anxiety prickling in his mind. Nova goes along with the arrest, a serene smile on her face as the police lead her out of the building.

"You need to go back," Borg says once they're alone. "I don't like that you're not in your own body."

_I told you, it's fine –_

"We don't know that! For all we know, the longer you're out, the harder it will be to return." Borg picks at the collar of the jacket he hurriedly threw on over his pajamas. "And even if that's not true, it doesn't change that to every other observer, you are completely unresponsive to external stimuli. It's going to be difficult for me to prevent another trip to the hospital, even if you go back now."

_Yeah, well –_

"Morro, I want to get dressed, and I'm not doing it with you here."

Morro grumbles wordlessly. _Okay, fine._

He lets go of his possession and stands there in the room. Borg keeps watching the screen with the security feed on it, and Morro eventually figures out he's waiting for him to go back to his body.

"Fine," he mumbles, knowing full well that Borg can't hear him, and he leaves.

He has to argue with the police against being taken to the hospital – "I'm fine! I passed out from stress. It's a thing that happens!" – and he's fairly certain that they drop it only because they don't want to deal with him anymore. Borg eventually arrives in the lobby, now dressed, and says a few words to the police before going to Morro.

"I'm alright," he says, before Borg can say anything. "You know that."

"Morro, there's absolutely no reason I would know if you were alright or not."

Morro gets the hint. "Yeah, okay. But I'm fine."

He sits next to Borg and tells the police what he knows. "She said her name was Nova," he says. "Called herself a necromancer. She didn't say why she was taking me, only that –" He hesitates. "– we had places to be. So she was going to take me somewhere, but I don't know where."

Liar. He knows where. Back to Stiix, back to the trench, back to the Cursed Realm. He can hear echoes of the voices, saying his name over and over, calling him traitor, calling him back –

The police ask again if he needs to go to the hospital. "You look pretty bad, kid," one of the officers says. Morro glares at her until she stops asking.

* * *

Borg knocks on his door late that afternoon. "What?" Morro says.

"Could you let me in?"

When Morro opens the door, Borg wheels himself in without a word, a box taking up the space on his lap. "Plug this in for me," he says, holding it out.

Morro takes it. He doesn't recognize the device inside. "What is it?"

"A DVD projector. You don't have a screen in your room, so we have to use this."

"A what?"

"We're going to have a movie night, because I know damn well I'm not going to get any work done after what happened. Now please stop asking questions and help me set up the projector."

He almost asks why, but Borg's face is hard and serious, and Morro is still shaken from the encounter with Nova. "Fine," he says.

They're all kids movies, with cute, colorful characters. Morro complains at first, but Borg doesn't respond, sitting on the bed next to him and clasping his hands together. It almost looks like he's praying, but that would be ridiculous.

Morro doesn't ask questions. He sits back and watches the cartoons live, love, die, sing, and have happy endings. They go through three movies, all in silence. Finally, when the credits are rolling on the last movie, Borg speaks. "I'm going to call the ninja."

"What?!"

"They need to know what happened. It's their job to protect Ninjago from these kind of threats."

"Yeah," says Morro. "Threats like me."

"Morro, I am done putting up with this."

Thank God, Morro thinks. Borg has finally had enough, he's finally throwing Morro away. So he isn't expecting it when Borg hugs him.

"What –"

"You're not irredeemable," Borg says softly. "You're going to have a future. You're going to grow up. And I swear by everything I hold dear, I will fight everyone who tries to prevent your happiness. I'll fight your own self if I have to, Morro."

And Morro is so caught off guard by this, that the only thing that falls out of his mouth is, "I'd like to see you try."

"I _will_ try. Regardless of how many times I fail, I will try. You're worth it, even if you can't see it yet."

"I'm not –"

"Please, Morro. Enough. You are worth it."

And Morro finally, finally stops fighting.

"Okay," he says, and he hugs Borg back.

* * *

That night, Wu calls all the ninja to a meeting, and then doesn't show up right away. Lloyd slides in the seat next to Kai and glances at the empty seat at the head of the table. "What's going on?"

"That's what we're waiting to find out, dummy," says Cole.

"Hey –" Kai starts, but Lloyd just laughs.

Nya takes a seat next to Zane, and Jay surreptitiously scoots his chair closer to her. Kai rolls his eyes.

Finally, Sensei Wu appears, walking in with Misako. "I'm afraid there's been an incident at Borg Tower," he says. "Someone tried to kidnap Morro."

Kai hears Lloyd's sharp inhale, sees his shoulders stiffen at Morro's name. Lloyd bites his lip and looks down at the table while Wu moves to the screen and turns it on.

"These are the security feed from the incident," he says, and a video starts playing. Kai watches as a woman walks in and goes up to Morro, watches their confrontation, and watches as the woman grabs Morro's arm and Morro goes completely limp.

"What was that?!" Jay exclaims.

"Did he die or something?" Cole asks, his eyebrows way up. "Again?"

"No," says Wu. "Borg explained it to me during our conversation. Apparently, Morro has the ability to leave his body and return to it later. With no other way of getting help, he did that to alert Borg of what was happening."

"But why?" Lloyd says. Kai glances at him, and he swallows and continues. "I mean, why did someone try to kidnap him?"

"Her name is Nova. She described herself as a former student of the Temple of Resurrection. I did some research, and there was indeed a woman with that name who studied there, back when the temple was in use. However, a few years ago, she was killed in an accident."

"Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out," Nya says. "She died at the Temple of Resurrection, so obviously, she was resurrected."

"Precisely, Nya. A close friend of hers used the Temple to bring her back, and she continued her studies there for another few months before the Temple was abandoned due to structural issues."

"That doesn't really answer my question," Lloyd says. "What does she want with Morro?"

"That is not clear. She does, however, call herself a necromancer. It is not a stretch to say she is interested in his experience as a ghost."

He's hiding something, Kai can tell. Wu is usually hiding something, but some things are more obviously hidden than others. But one look at the anxious expression on Lloyd's face, and Kai decides to confront Wu in private.

"So what do we do?" Zane asks. "You would not call us together like this if there was nothing."

Wu nods. "About an hour ago, Nova escaped custody at the police station. She is on the loose. Our mission is to find out what she's up to, and stop her if necessary. I do not believe she is up to anything good."

With that, the meeting is dismissed. Kai tries to catch Wu alone, but when Lloyd locks himself in his room, he decides there's more important things to worry about, and goes to check on his little brother.


	11. It's time to grow up and get wise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the lack of update yesterday, I think I'm close to burning out on this thing. gotta finish it, though!!
> 
> anyway uhhhh no warnings here unless talking about death/resurrection wigs you out (in which case this is the wrong story for you to be reading)

The next day, after he tells Skylor what happened over the phone, she insists on coming over. All well and good, he supposes. Borg won't let him leave the tower for fear of Nova coming back, after the police informed them she had escaped.

"Your room is a mess," she comments, closing the door behind her. "And – come on, you live on the hundredth floor, your view must be amazing. Why are your curtains closed?"

She puts her bag down and opens the curtains before Morro can stop her. He squints in the sudden light and covers his eyes. "Hello to you too," he mutters.

Skylor sits down on the bed next to him. "Good to see you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"That bad, huh?"

"Someone tried to kidnap me, what did you expect?"

Skylor picks her bag back up and pulls out a takeout container. "Here, I brought you noodles."

Morro eats them right away, thankful for something he can do with his mouth that's not talking. Skylor watches him scarf it down and waits for him to finish before speaking up.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"Not really," Morro says, tossing the empty container on the floor. "It wasn't exactly fun."

"Seems like most of the stuff you've been through has been like that."

"Yeah. It sucks."

Skylor puts an arm around him. Morro lets her.

"Did you call Kai when I ran away?" he asks.

"Borg called the ninja. After you said you were on the train, they used the schedule to narrow it down, and sent the ninja to each of the possible locations. Kai called me when he found you 'cause I ended up telling him we were friends. He's surprisingly cool with it." Skylor sighs. "You really freaked everyone out there. What were you trying to do?"

Morro scowls. "I told you, I was running away. I was going to live in Stiix, somehow. You don't have to tell me it was a stupid idea, because I already know."

"What made you do it?"

"Borg said something stupid."

"Should I go yell at him or something?"

"No! Not that kind of stupid, just…" Morro sighs. "He said I had a future. He said we could be a family. Maybe not in those words, but –" He clenches his fists. "– I couldn't – I just want to ruin my life and have it be _over,_ and not have to worry about living or having a future anymore."

"Yeah," says Skylor. "That's pretty typical."

"What?"

"When your emotional state finally starts improving, your brain freaks out and tries to sabotage you. It's why people say that things get worse before they get better."

Morro considers this, leaning against Skylor. "What does getting better even mean?" he says.

"Hard to say. One day, you'll just look back and realize that things are better. That you have a life, that you have friends, and that you have a future." Skylor frowns. "Problem is, it's hard to see it when you're in a place like this. Not like, this tower, but the emotional place you're in."

Part of him feels like he never left that trench.

Morro thinks back to Nova. It had been hard to see her in the dark, or through the grainy security feed; all he remembers is that she had long, curly hair, and was taller than him – not by much, but she had seemed to tower over him when he was half-asleep on the couch. He grits his teeth, thinking about how easily she was able to prevent him from leaving –

"Can you help me train?" he blurts out.

Skylor looks at him with one eyebrow raised. "Like, fight-train?"

"Yes. I'm out of practice. I haven't needed to fight since –" _Screaming and sobbing, tearing at Lloyd with his hands alone._ "– since I was brought back."

"Yeah, I can practice with you. Should probably clear it with Borg, first, unless you want to wait until it's safe to leave the tower. You think there's a place to practice in here, somewhere?"

"Probably. This place is huge. Some of the floors have moving walkways."

"Alright. Let's go talk to him, then."

* * *

The ninja split into pairs; Zane and Cole go to the police station to see what information they have on Nova, Jay and Nya start looking for the close friend who resurrected her, and Kai and Lloyd make the trip back to the Temple of Resurrection.

Kai tries to talk him out of it. "Look, Zane and Cole can handle the temple, we can take the police station. You don't gotta do this."

"It's fine, Kai," Lloyd says. "I can handle it."

Kai eventually stops arguing. Lloyd has clearly made up his mind, and Kai can tell that he'll only make things worse if he keeps trying to convince him otherwise. "Alright," he says. "I'm here for you, bro."

Lloyd is quiet until they get there, landing their dragons and meeting two identical-looking scholars of the temple at the gate. They nod at the ninjas' approach. "Lloyd and Kai, correct?" one says.

"Your Sensei told us you were coming," says the other. "I'm afraid we cannot allow you into the Temple itself, but we are available to answer the questions you may have about Nova."

The scholars lead them to a small building, much more modern than the ancient temple. Once they're sitting inside, Kai speaks up. "So what's Nova's deal, like, exactly?"

"Dude, we don't even know these guys' names," Lloyd says.

"We're on a mission, Lloyd –"

"We don't use names," one of the scholars says. Kai has already forgotten which one is which. "It's part of the highest levels of our training."

"Okay," says Kai, an awkward smile plastered across his face. "I guess Nova never reached that level, since she has a name and all."

"Correct. Though she tried to stay, after her death and subsequent resurrection, she struggled with her studies, and when the Temple was abandoned, she was relieved at the chance to leave."

The other scholar speaks up. "We are, however, saddened that she turned to necromancy. That will not lead her to the answers she seeks."

Kai glances at Lloyd and waggles his eyebrows in a gesture of, "Man, these guys are weird," but Lloyd isn't looking at him and misses it.

"What _does_ she seek?" Lloyd asks. "Like, why did she go after Morro?"

The two scholars glance at each other. "There are many potential reasons," one says. "None of them are conclusive, but there is one connection that is stronger than others."

"You see," says the other, "before she was born, Nova's parents made a pact that condemned their first-born child. From the moment she was brought into the world, Nova was doomed to be sent to the Cursed Realm upon her death."

"That's messed up!" Kai exclaims.

Lloyd doesn't seem bothered, though Kai knows he must be. "So when she died in that accident…"

"Nova was searching for a way to lift the curse on her soul. Everyone knew that. When she died, her closest friend, Terra, was distraught. She could not accept that Nova had failed to lift her curse before her death. So she barricaded herself in the Temple and brought Nova back."

Lloyd frowns. "Why'd she have to barricade herself inside?"

"Obviously, we were not going to allow the Temple to be used for frivolous purposes –"

Kai can't contain himself. "Frivolous?! What! She was gonna go to the Cursed Realm!"

The scholar frowns. "You must understand. If we allowed the Temple of Resurrection to be used freely, we would be unable to sustain it. Us scholars believe that the temple should never be used for any reason."

Both scholars give a pointed look to Lloyd, who flinches. Kai glares at them.

"Just tell us what the connection is," he says. "I mean, I can probably figure it out. She went to the Cursed Realm, she's going after Morro 'cause he was in the Cursed Realm, something something, she wants to lift her curse."

"Precisely."

"Great! Lloyd, let's go."

"Wait," the scholars say in unison, just as Kai is standing up.

"Lloyd," one of them continues. "There is something we must tell you about what you did."

Lloyd takes a deep breath. "I know I messed up," he says, turning his eyes down to the table. "I shouldn't have done it. Morro didn't want to be brought back, and I should've –" He shudders. "I should've known better. I shouldn't have brought him back."

"Lloyd, buddy –" Kai starts.

"Regardless of whether you should have, you did," the scholar continues. "And there are consequences to that – but for him, not for you."

Lloyd looks back up. "What?"

The scholars clasp each of their hands together and lean forward. Kai scrunches up his face and prepares his elemental powers.

"When you used the Temple to resurrect Morro, you did not listen to the warnings," one says.

"You used the Temple in a way none of us have seen before," says the other.

"We cannot know for sure what effects this may have in the long term, but know this."

"You did not lift the curse on Morro's soul."

"He will die, as we all do, and he will return to the Cursed Realm."

"You must tell him this."

"Or," says Kai, "someone else could tell him, 'cause I'm not letting Lloyd anywhere near him anytime soon." He nudges Lloyd and pulls him to his feet. "C'mon, bro, we're getting out of here."

Lloyd climbs on the back of Kai's dragon instead of summoning his own. As they take off, Kai sees the Temple of Resurrection far below them and has a sudden urge to blow it up. He doesn't, of course.

* * *

"I don't think she wants to talk to us," Jay says when the door is slammed in their face.

"Well, too bad!" Nya stomps forward and knocks hard on the door. "Hey! Terra! We need to talk!"

"Go away!" comes the response.

"You can't lock yourself in your apartment forever!"

"Yes I can!"

"Hey, ladies," Jay starts. Nya glares at him and he stops.

"We know you were friends with Nova," Nya says, turning back to the closed door. "We know you resurrected her. We need to know what she's up to! She just tried to kidnap someone –"

The door opens. Terra, a short woman with thick glasses and long white hair, glares at her, a surprisingly threatening gesture when she's still in her pajamas.

"She didn't try to kidnap just anyone," she says, jabbing a finger towards her. "You look me in the eyes and tell me that little ghost brat doesn't deserve it."

Nya frowns at her. "Deserves what?"

Terra slams the door again.

"Hey!"

"Listen," Jay says, stepping up to the door. "We just need to know if Nova's doing anything that'll threaten the safety of Ninjago, 'cause, like, that's our job! To stop people from doing that! So, if she's not doing anything like that, just tell us and we'll leave you alone."

"Nova is doing what she has to do," Terra says from behind the door, "and as long as she saves herself, I don't care what happens to anyone else."

"That was _really_ not the answer I was looking for. Seriously, all you had to say was, 'No, she's not threatening Ninjago's safety,' and –"

"Go away before I call the cops!"

They end up having to leave with more questions than answers. As they leave the building, Jay looks up at Borg Tower in the distance, and wonders what on earth Lloyd had been thinking.

* * *

"Don't listen to those creeps," Kai says as they fly back home. "You don't gotta talk to Morro ever again. Not after what he did to you."

"Maybe I should," Lloyd mumbles. "I'm the one who brought him back."

"Lloyd, you don't gotta, and I'll lock you in your room if you try."

He doesn't respond. Kai frowns and racks his brain for something else to say.

"There's something I need to tell you, Kai," says Lloyd, so quietly Kai can barely hear him over the wind rushing by.

"Yeah?"

"You have to promise not to tell the others."

"'Course I won't."

Lloyd inhales, slowly, and presses his forehead against Kai's back. "Morro wasn't the only one I was trying to bring back."

"What? Who –" Kai realizes just as the words leave his mouth. "Your dad."

He can feel Lloyd trembling. Is he crying? Kai stops his dragon and it hovers in midair, flapping its wings as he twists around to give him a hug. Lloyd wraps his arms around Kai and shudders as he speaks.

"It didn't work," he says. "It didn't work. I – I don't know why, it worked for Morro – but it didn't work for my dad. I don't – I don't – I want him back, Kai. I want my dad back."

"I get it," Kai says. "I get it. If I could get your dad back, I'd do anything to make it happen. You shouldn't have to feel like this, Lloyd. It's not – it's not fair. You don't deserve any of the bad things that happen to you."

Lloyd sobs, and his hands dig into Kai's back, and they stay like that in the air for a long time.


	12. I'm a fate worse than death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS GOD I HIT POST TOO SOON: uhhh talking about Death and junk. yeah. flashback to a character death. that sort of thing.

Kai goes straight to Borg Tower after dropping Lloyd off at the Bounty. "Listen," he says when Lloyd tries to protest. "I'll tell him. You don't have to. And I was serious about locking you in your room to stop you from trying."

"You wouldn't," says Lloyd, but he agrees to stay.

Kai takes the bus into the city, not wanting the attention of going in on the dragon. It takes longer that way, but that just means he gets to put off the conversation longer. He gets off at his stop and walks up to the building, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and barely notices when Skylor calls to him.

"Kai! How are you?"

"What?"

Skylor walks up to him and furrows her brow. "You seem out of it. What's going on? Also, why are you here?"

Kai laughs nervously. "I've, uh, got some… news."

"Good news or bad news?"

"Can't say. It's, uh…" He scrunches up his face. "Okay, yeah, it's bad news. It's… pretty bad, honestly."

Skylor frowns. "And it's about Morro, right? You wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Yeah. I gotta, uh, tell him something about something that we found out." He attempts a grin. "You wanna come along, for like, moral support?"

"For you or for Morro?"

"I was thinking me, but honestly, he'll probably need it more."

"Tell me."

Kai's forced grin vanishes. "Right now?"

She nods, stepping closer to him. "Right now. If it's that bad, I want to know."

"It's… well, alright, but…" Kai takes a deep breath and lowers his voice. "We found out that Morro's gonna go back to the Cursed Realm when he dies."

Skylor jerks her head back. "You're not serious," she says sharply. "That's not – that's not funny, Kai."

"I told you it was bad."

"But that's –" Skylor shakes her head. "He told me what it was like there – and he's going to go back?! There's got to be some way to prevent that!"

"I mean, we found out that Nova's got a curse on her, too, and she's been trying for years to lift it, and, well… if there is a way, she hasn't found it."

"That's not –" Her voice trembles. Skylor covers her mouth, her eyes wide. "That's not right," she whispers. "He's just started to get better, and now – that's not right."

There are tears in her eyes and her shoulders are shaking. Kai takes a step closer and hesitates. Skylor turns away from him.

"I'm gonna ask you something," Kai says. "Please don't take it the wrong way."

"Oh, so it's going to be one of those questions?"

Skylor muffles a sob. Kai reconsiders all the life choices that led him to be the way he is before asking his question anyway: "Why do you care so much about Morro?"

"Hard as it is to believe, I used to be a pretty bad kid, too, what with working for my father and being part of his plan to take over Ninjago." Skylor takes a deep breath. "It was you who pulled me out of that place, Kai. You and everyone else. I want to be for Morro what you were for me."

Kai doesn't have words, but he manages a smile.

Skylor sniffles, wipes her face on her sleeve, and strands up a little straighter. "I'll be there when you tell him," she says. "Make sure he doesn't do anything drastic."

"Right," says Kai. "Let's head on up, then."

* * *

The receptionist tells them that Borg will meet them in his office. Kai is sweating all throughout the elevator ride. Skylor is wiping her eyes and contorting her face in an effort to keep more tears from falling. Maybe he shouldn't have told her, Kai thinks. Now he's going to have to give the news all over again.

Morro isn't happy to see him. "What are you doing here?" he says, scowling.

Skylor almost starts crying again; Kai hears her quick inhale, sees her face tighten. Morro narrows his eyes.

"What's going on?" he asks.

Borg quickly picks up on the mood. "This is something serious, isn't it?" he says.

"Yeah, kinda," says Kai.

They all take a seat. Morro is sitting next to Borg with his arms crossed, across the desk from Kai and Skylor. Kai takes a deep breath and begins.

"So after you called us," he says, nodding at Borg. "Lloyd and I went to the Temple of Resurrection to see if they had any info on Nova, that sort of thing. And, uh, we found some stuff out."

He pauses. No one else speaks up, so he continues after a few moments. "Apparently Nova's cursed to go to, uh, the Cursed Realm 'cause of like, some pact her parents made –" At the mention of the Cursed Realm, Morro wraps his arms tighter around himself, and Kai almost can't do it. Sure, he hates Morro – but this is a lot. He presses forward. "She's been trying to lift the curse for… basically her whole life, which is probably why she's coming after you. 'Cause of the whole cursed realm thing."

Morro shudders. "So?" he snaps. "That can't be it. What's this big terrible thing you're afraid to tell me?"

Kai hesitates a moment too long.

"You're going back to the Cursed Realm when you die," Skylor says bluntly.

Morro stiffens. Kai can't tear his eyes away, watching his eyes widen, his fingers grip the fabric of his shirt as he hunches over, staring down at the table.

"You're not – you're not –" Morro is breathing hard. "You're just messing with me, you just – you just want to scare me –"

"Sorry, dude," Kai says. "It's not a joke. Whatever Lloyd did, it brought you back, but it didn't lift the curse."

"The Cursed Realm is gone!" Morro shouts, standing up and shoving Borg's hand off his back. "It's dead! It's on the bottom of the ocean, and I – I can't –" He staggers backwards. "I can't go back, oh God, I can't do it again –"

"Morro," says Borg, "Morro, I…"

"Shut up! I told you I didn't have a future, and you _still_ –" He chokes back a sob. "Leave me alone!"

"Morro," Borg repeats.

Skylor stands up. "Kai, you need to leave," she says. "Like, now."

"Don't need to tell me twice," he says, standing up with her. "I'll text you or something. Good luck."

"Please get out."

As he shuts the door behind him, he can hear Morro scream, the way he screamed when they first brought him to the Bounty. At least he's not still there; Kai can't imagine how Morro would react if he found out he was going to the Cursed Realm while surrounded by all the people he hates.

* * *

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

Skylor hugs him. Morro sobs and tries to shove her away, but Skylor pulls him closer until he's open-mouthed sobbing into her shoulder and beating his fists against her chest. He can hear Borg's wheelchair rolling across the ground, and he – "Let go of me!" he yells. "Just leave me alone!"

She doesn't let go. She doesn't leave. Skylor's stronger than he is, and he can't squirm out of her grip. She's crying, too; Morro can feel her shaking, feel her shoulders heave with silent sobs. It's too much. It's all too much. Morro falls against her, his legs giving out, and she lowers them both to a sitting position on the ground.

It's a long time before he stops wailing and cries silently, tears streaming down his cheeks and snot running out his nose. In the quiet, he can hear the sound of typing, faster than he's ever heard or seen Borg type before. Morro lifts his head up enough to blow his nose on his sleeve and squint at the desk through vision blurred by tears.

Borg is staring at an array of computer screens, typing rapidly on the keyboard as window after window pops up on the browser. Morro wipes his eyes on the same sleeve he blew his nose on and tries to make out the text.

Every window is a search query for curses, removing curses, the Cursed Realm –

"What are you doing?"

"I have to do something," Borg says, not looking at him. "I'm in a position of great power. I can get access to information few others could. I told you, the Borg family name can open a lot of doors."

And Morro thinks, why does he care? Why is he going to so much trouble to take care of a kid that Wu dumped on him? Morro wants to ask him why he hasn't given up, why he hasn't abandoned him, but the only thing that comes out of his mouth is –

"I don't want to go back," he whispers, and Skylor tightens her grip again. "I don't want to go back. Please, please, I don't want to go back there –"

"I promise I will do everything in my power to prevent that," Borg says. "And I don't make promises lightly."

Morro is exhausted. He presses his damp face into Skylor's shoulder and closes his eyes. Maybe he'll wake up and everything will be gone, he thinks. Maybe he'll wake up and be back in the drowned Cursed Realm, with all of this just a cruel dream – no one could really think someone like him was worth saving.

And maybe, he'll wake up and still be in the tower, alive despite everything.

Morro doesn't know which one is worse.

* * *

_Morro is walking through the city of fifty years ago, the streets empty of people. The shop is closed, but he can see the keeper stocking shelves inside, so he barges in anyway._

_His feet feel like lead. Each step is slow and heavy. He wraps his arms tighter around himself and continues forward, seeing the cave's exit, a spot of light at the end of the tunnel._

_She tries to talk him out of it. He's too young to be making a decision like this, she says. Too young, too impulsive. Go home, she says. Be with your family. Remember there's more to life._

_His breath is clouding in the air; strange, it's not that cold. He forces himself onward, despite the weight of his body, dragging him down like chains._

_Morro tells her to shut the hell up and give him the tea or he'll take it by force._

_He sees the mountain now, sees the first steps carved into the stone. He gasps, shivers, puts one foot on the first step, then the other foot. One step at a time._

_Nothing seems to change when he drinks the tea. His soul doesn't feel cursed. The old woman was probably making it up, Morro thinks._

_One step at a time. One step at a time. He's so tired. His body is so heavy. He raises his eyes to the mountain's peak, and prays. Please, Sensei, please, he begs. I want to come home. I'll be better. I'll be stronger. I'll be worthy of being the Green Ninja. We can be a family, we can be whatever you want. Please let me come home._

_Sensei Wu told him he would leave the gates open for him, for when he came back. Morro's mouth twitches as he looks at his map and looks up at the Caves of Despair in front of him. He'll come back, all right. He'll come back and prove he's owed the title of Green Ninja._

_The gates are open. He takes slow step after step into the Monastery of Spinjitzu, then collapses in the center, unable to go any further. He knows what's happening, knows his body is still trapped in that cave – please, Sensei, please help me. I don't want to go to the Cursed Realm. I was an awful student, I know, I'm sorry, please help me, I don't want to die._

_Morro falls against the stone. The light is fading. Darkness is eating away at his vision. He can't breathe. The shopkeeper's warnings are echoing in his ears, but even his own thoughts are slipping away._

_He's alone. He's all alone. Morro tries to call out for help, but nothing escapes his throat. He can't keep his eyes open. Sensei, Sensei, please, I've come home, I want to come home, please let me come home._

_He wakes up again in a world of darkness._

* * *

The lights flicker on. "Morro! Are you alright? What happened?"

He can still feel the scream in his throat. Morro gulps down air, covered in sweat, and looks around. He's lying on his bed, in the room in the tower. The curtains are still open, the city outside lit up in the night. Borg is at the door, looking distressed on Morro's behalf.

His voice comes out hoarse. "I'm fine," he says. "Just… just a bad dream."


	13. All my nightmares escape my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im running out of song lyrics/titles to name chapters after
> 
> uhhh this chapter is 100 words shorter than I wanted but it's Finished and I'm not gonna add any junk it doesn't need.
> 
> no warnings here, I don't think? semi-happier chapter.

Morro falls flat on his face on the mats. Again.

"You're not accounting for your own weight," Skylor says as he picks himself off the ground. "You can't do those moves. You need to do what I'm telling you."

Morro grits his teeth. "I could do them before," he says.

"I know you could, but you're not a ghost anymore!" Skylor sighs and puts a hand to her forehead. "You need to actually listen to me if you want to get your skill back."

"I am listening!"

"Doesn't seem like it."

Morro lunges at her. Skylor grabs him and flips him over her shoulder. He lands hard on his back and lies there, breathing hard.

"I think we need to go over some basic exercises," Skylor says.

"No we don't."

"You definitely do."

"No I don't."

"Morro, you're clearly used to fighting as a ghost, and not a physical human. You're going to have to relearn practically everything."

"No I –"

"Can you shut up and listen to me? I'm the one training you."

It's a lot easier to deal with Skylor's annoyance than it had been to face Wu's quiet disappointment. Morro's mouth twitches, but he doesn't say anything.

Skylor helps him off the ground – see, Wu didn't do that. "Come on, let's start with some stances," she says. "Put your feet – see, there's your problem already, your stance is all off. Here, hold yourself like this…"

* * *

"I'm just saying, if Lloyd was able to resurrect Morro, why couldn't he resurrect some other people?" Cole gestures to his own ghostly body. "I mean, come on! I'm not the one he has nightmares about!"

"I don't get it," Jay says. "I thought you liked being a ghost."

"Jay, I'm going to punch you."

"Can we stop talking about this?" Kai says loudly as he gets himself breakfast.

Nya nods. "Kai's right. Lloyd's been dealing with a lot already, he doesn't need you guys to be gossiping about him."

"Tell that to Cole! He started – ow! Hey, he actually punched me!"

Kai groans. "So, Cole," he says, "what did you and Zane find out at the police station?"

Cole leans back in his chair while Jay rubs his nose. "Not much. Nova's a wanted criminal already, mostly for stealing scrolls from the library and, uh, grave robbing."

Jay shudders. "Dang! I'm guessing she wasn't after jewelry or anything, either, being a necromancer and all."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious. So that's that, and we didn't find out anything else." Cole sighs. "Jay, did you and Nya have any luck with the friend? Terra, right?"

"Not really. She wouldn't let us in her apartment. She doesn't like Morro, that's for sure."

"She also still cares about Nova," Nya says. "I mean, she said it herself. As long as Nova saves herself, she doesn't care what happens to anyone else. Whatever that means."

"It's 'cause her soul is cursed," Kai says, sitting at the table with his food. "Found that out at the Temple. She's gonna go to the Cursed Realm when she dies, and she's trying to prevent that."

He wonders if he should tell them about Morro, then decides not to say anything.

"Whoof, that's rough," says Cole. "So… what do we do now?"

"Someone should probably wake up Lloyd," says Jay.

"No way!" says Kai. "You know how much trouble he's been having sleeping, I will fight you if you wake him up."

"Where did Zane go?" Nya asks. "I saw him when I first woke up, but not since then."

Cole gestures to the ceiling. "He's up on the deck. He's hacking into Borg Tower's network."

The room went silent for a few moments.

"Cole?" Kai says.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Uh, I just did?"

"Wow, Cole," says Jay.

Cole rolls his eyes. "He's just trying to check their internet activity, nothing actually bad. Apparently Pixal's worried about her dad, so Zane agreed to check on him."

"By hacking into the network," Kai says.

"Yep."

"Hate to be Captain Obvious again," Jay says, "but there are _tons_ of ways that could go wrong. Like, this is Borg we're talking about. After the whole Overlord virus thing, his firewalls are probably maxed out!"

"Pixal's his daughter, come on. She's got all the passwords and everything, _plus_ she and Zane both are recognized as part of Borg Industries. It's not even technically hacking, I just called it that 'cause it sounded cool."

"So what are they trying to do again?" Nya asked. "Not-technically-hack into the network and…?"

"Check the internet activity. Like, online searches and whatnot. See if there's anything to worry about." Cole shrugs. "There's probs nothing, but it'll be good to know that for sure."

* * *

"I'm seeing a lot of searches related to the Cursed Realm," Zane says.

"I know. They're coming from his main office, too, so it's definitely his search and not, say, Morro's." Pixal spoke calmly, but Zane could tell she was anxious. "I want to talk to him."

"Should we take a trip to the tower?"

"That won't be necessary. We're already in the network. I can contact him from here."

"Are you sure? He'll know we were up to something."

"I don't like to keep secrets from my father. I'll tell him the truth."

"Understood."

Zane is standing at the edge of the deck, facing the forest the Destiny's Bounty is currently settled in; fairly close to Ninjago City, at Sensei Wu's insistence, citing that if something happened with Morro they needed to be close. Zane isn't looking at the surroundings, though – his attention is focused on the screens in his vision, Pixal bringing up the video call screen for Cyrus Borg's office. They watch it ring for a few moments before it's picked up and Borg's face appears in his vision.

"Pixal! So good to see you – and Zane as well, of course!" Borg laughs – is Zane just imagining it, or does he sound nervous? "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Pixal gets right to the point. "Father, we noticed some unusual internet activity coming from your office," she says.

"Ah, you noticed? Well…" Borg frowns. "Wait, how did you notice? What prompted this investigation?"

"I was worried about you. You've had a lot to cope with lately, and so has Morro. This can't be easy for either of you."

Borg opens his mouth to say something, then his faux cheeriness drops and he slumps back in his chair. "You're right," he says. "This has not been easy – especially not for Morro. Kai must have told you the news, didn't he?"

"No," says Zane. "What news?"

"Ah. He didn't." Borg sucks in air through his teeth. "Morro's soul is still cursed. He'll go to the Cursed Realm when he dies, if the curse is not lifted."

Pixal gasps.

"That's why I've been doing all these searches, Pixal. I want to find a way to help him."

Zane considers this information for a moment. "I think us ninja have a communication problem," he says.

Borg chuckles sadly. "Maybe so."

"Please be careful," Pixal says. "I know you want to help him, but this is a dangerous line of research. Stay safe."

"You don't have to worry so much, Pixal. Your old man can take care of himself." Borg smiles. "I'm looking for information, nothing more."

Pixal is quiet. Zane can feel the buzz of her program running in his systems as she thinks.

"Does that alleviate your concerns? Maybe just a little?"

"Yes," Pixal says. "I just wanted to check."

"Alright, then! It was nice to hear from you. Zane, too. Please do take care."

"I love you, Father."

Borg blinks in surprise, then breaks into a grin. "I love you too, Pixal. Stay in touch, now!"

Once the call has ended, Zane disconnects from the network and thinks for a while.

"He's going to do something stupid," Pixal says.

"I was going to say, I thought so, but I don't know him as well as you do."

"My father has accomplished great things, but he's made many mistakes as well. Most, if not all, stem from not knowing when to stop. We need to keep an eye on him."

"I understand, Pixal." Zane turns and stands heading below deck. "Let's join the others. Perhaps we should strive to improve our communication."

* * *

"You have a lot of stamina," Skylor says, sitting on the floor with a water bottle. "I'm impressed."

Morro sits next to her and takes a sip of his own water. He grimaces. "It's not that special."

"I'd say it is! I'm already exhausted, and you've barely broken a sweat. You've been working a lot harder than me, too."

"It's just stances."

"Don't put yourself down so much, you did a good job."

"Doesn't have much to do with me," Morro mutters.

"What does that mean?"

Morro scowls and looks away.

He hears Skylor move closer to him, scooting herself across the floor. "Is something wrong?" she asks.

"Don't ask me to talk about it."

"I mean, if you want to –"

Morro groans and falls backwards on the mats. "Let's just say there's a reason I have all this stamina," he says. "And it's not a happy reason."

Skylor peers down at him. "And you don't want to talk about it, huh?"

"What is up with you and talking about things?"

"Man, you were definitely Wu's student."

Morro affixes her with a glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Wu has a big problem with actually telling people things they deserve to know. I feel like it rubs off on his students. I've seen it with Kai, mostly because he's the one I spend the most time with."

"Well, you don't need to know how my soul got cursed, so stop asking about it."

"I… didn't realize that was related."

It takes a few moments before Morro realizes what he said. "I meant – augh, dammit."

"Sorry," says Skylor. "I didn't know… you don't have to tell me that."

Morro rolls onto his side, away from her. "It was my own fault," he mutters. "I was weak. Had lung problems or something, doctors couldn't figure it out, but every time I exerted myself too much I started having trouble breathing. There was – there was this tea that could cure all physical maladies, even if you were born with them, even if nothing else could. I didn't think I could find the tomb without it." He snorts. "Of course it came with a price."

He hears Skylor gasp. "Oh my God, Morro, that's awful."

"My own fault. I'm the one who drank it." Morro looks at his own hands on the mat in front of him, opening and closing his fist. "Now I'm stronger, I don't pass out after training like we just did, I have all this stamina, and I'm condemned to the Cursed Realm when I die."

Saying it out loud feels different, somehow. It's been only a day since he got the news, but it feels so much longer. He hasn't quite accepted it, not yet, but it's a little easier to stomach, as long as he doesn't think about it too much.

"Do you want a hug?" Skylor says.

"Are you going to take no for an answer?"

He sits up and lets Skylor hug him. At least this time neither of them are breaking down in tears.


	14. In all my dreams I drown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im really worried about my characterizations here but also, I have a permit, it says, "I do what I want," and I held the hagemans at knifepoint and forced them to sign it so you know it's official
> 
> I'll have to rewatch season 3 at some point tbh
> 
> warnings for this chapter: uhh arguably drowning though it's not detailed and it's just a dream, some Magic Bullshit. idk. im not very good at this. someone pricks their finger for a spell. idk

The first spell he tries asks for a drop of his own blood, freshly spilled. Cyrus hesitates for a long few moments, the needle hovering above his finger, thinking of all the ways this could go horribly wrong before he pricks his finger and squeezes out the necessary ingredient.

He found the spell on the internet. He's not convinced it's going to work. He hasn't even done any research outside digging through search results and browsing cryptic, self-hosted websites – but the ones he found had evidence of success. Cyrus may not believe in God, but there is no denying the reality of magic in Ninjago. Morro's own existence is proof enough of that.

So here he is, sitting in the office he and Morro worked in, having disabled all the security cameras and shutting down the computer screens for good measure, trying out a spell that would serve his purposes, seemed legitimate, and that happened to require his own blood. Technically, it could have been anyone's blood, but Cyrus isn't interested in getting anyone else involved just yet.

The droplet falls on the paper. Cyrus mumbles – no, he sits up straight and speaks out loud the incantation, shoving down his doubt and fear of appearing foolish. No one is watching. Morro is up in his room. He told all his employees not to contact him for the rest of the night. No one even knows he's here.

He finishes the incantation with that thought, and sits there in silence for a few moments, contemplating his situation. He really is a fool, isn't he?

Before he can counter that thought, the blood begins to move.

Thin lines run out like circuitry from where the blood landed, spreading across the sheet in an elaborate pattern of right angles. This is more than Cyrus expected. His heart is pounding, and as the red fades away, he can only hope that he's doing the right thing.

A word fades in on the paper.

_WHO_

Cyrus picks up a pen in shaking hands and writes a response.

_Someone seeking answers._

He's not stupid. He's not going to write his real name. God only knows what would be done with that information. He waits for the being on the other side to answer, as the ink vanishes from the paper.

_TO WHAT QUESTIONS_

This was a terrible idea, Cyrus thinks. Still, he's gotten this far – may as well keep going.

_How can I save someone from the Cursed Realm?_

No response. Cyrus waits and waits, occasionally checking his watch and watching the minutes tick by. After five minutes, he's considering breaking the connection, but just as he reaches for the paper, more words appear.

_SACRIFICE_

_OFFER HER SOMETHING EQUAL IN VALUE_

_Her?_

_THE PREEMINENT_

The name, even written, sends chills down Cyrus' spine.

_RULER AND EMBODIMENT OF THE CURSED REALM_

_YOU MUST BARGAIN WITH HER TO RELEASE HER GRIP ON A SOUL_

_What will she accept?_ Cyrus asks, already knowing the answer.

The paper confirms his fears.

_ANOTHER SOUL_

_SOMEONE TO TAKE THEIR PLACE_

_Is there really no other way?_

_FEW_

_ALL TOO DIFFICULT FOR THE LIKES OF YOU_

_CYRUS BORG_

This was a terrible, _terrible_ idea.

Lines are appearing on the paper in the red ink of Cyrus' blood, an image forming. Some sort of creature, with many tentacles and a single, enormous eye. Cyrus can barely breathe, terror gripping his heart.

Another picture forms, faster this time. A skinny teenager with a mess of black hair, wearing torn, loose clothes. His back is to the viewer, but Cyrus knows who he is.

_YOU WANT TO SAVE HIM_

_YOU MUST OFFER SOMEONE ELSE_

_SHE HOLDS HIM WITH A DROWNING GRIP_

_WHAT DO YOU HAVE OF EQUAL VALUE_

He takes the pen and writes before he can think better of it.

_I can't accept that. There must be some other way._

_YOU ARE A FOOL_

_A FOOL WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SECURE A PORTAL PROPERLY_

Cyrus grabs his lighter and sets the paper on fire. It screeches as it burns, the smoke writhing in the air. Just when the fire dies down, leaving only ash, the smoke alarm goes off, and Cyrus breathes hard as he listens to the shrill beeping.

* * *

Morro dreams of a city, under a ceiling of stars and ringed planets and comets held in place. He can hear music, rising up from the commotion below him. He jumps from rooftop to rooftop, watching the parade go by, seeing the lights snake through the city. The parade slowly marches past him as he runs towards its source, squinting and trying to make out what he sees in that ghostly green –

He doesn't make the next jump and lands in the middle of the parade. Hands grab him, turn him around, force him to march as he struggles to escape. But he's too weak, and he can't breathe, and as he lifts his eyes towards their destination, he can see the dead docks of Stiix, and the parade marches on, playing its mournful music as they disappear into the ocean.

Still, Morro fights, twisting in the parade's grip as he's forced down to the shoreline, screaming in rage as the hands hold his head underwater – that was why she took such a liking to you, wasn't it? A determined little fighter who can't accept his failure.

He wakes up gasping, his sheets covered in sweat.

* * *

The second spell is done much more carefully. Cyrus takes the entire day off to visit the library and request access to some of the more guarded documents. The security guards give him odd looks, and even odder looks when he flips through the dusty tomes and takes pictures of every page with his phone – flash off, of course, don't want to fade the print.

Back home, he swipes through the photos and double checks the meaning of every rune as he makes his circle, drawing in chalk while he lies on the floor. His handwriting is neat and steady, and he takes deep breaths to keep himself calm. Magic is just another form of technology to master, after all. He's an inventor, he's an engineer, he's a programmer – he can be a wizard, too, if that's what it takes.

Just a window, he tells himself, pulling himself back up into his wheelchair. All he's creating is a window. It's safe, he's taken every precaution in the books, and there's no way anyone from either side can cross over. With that, he steels his mind and recites the incantation.

The circle shines, and the center shimmers and turns black. Cyrus is wondering if he's done something wrong when a glowing green hand claps against the underside of the circle with a _thunk._

Cyrus jerks back in alarm. More hands join the first, pressing against the barrier, pounding on it, pawing at it – is it just him, or can he hear voices? They sound like they're coming from a far, far distance, garbled and distorted from the water.

_where is he_

_morro_

_where is he_

_can't save him_

_he belongs here_

_can't save him, morro, traitor_

Cyrus shouts the words to end the spell, and the window closes.

The circle is burned into the metal floor. Cyrus covers it up and ignores all questions Morro has about the new rug he's added to the office.

* * *

Morro dreams of a dark cave, the deepstone walls black as night and damp with slime. He pounds on them, his fists aching, but they don't let his incorporeal body pass through. Turning away, he squints in the darkness and walks down the tunnel, dragging his hand along the stone.

He finds people, huddled in small circles around fires and food, none of them looking up as he passes. He ignores them, heading deeper and deeper into the cave. Something about how the tunnel slopes down doesn't seem right; he should be going up, shouldn't he?

As he walks, water starts trickling down the slope, burning his feet. Morro's breath catches in his throat and he turns around, struggles to make his way back to higher ground, but the water is a stream now, and it _burns_ – he cries out for help, but the stream has progressed to a flood, and it washes his form away, burning the whole time.

He wakes up with the echo of the pain vivid in his mind.

* * *

The third spell might have been a better spell to do first, in terms of complexity. It's a simple chant, three words that Cyrus repeats over and over as he presses his hands to his chest. When the spell is complete, he takes his hands away, and his chest is glowing a soft pink.

That's normal, he read. His soul is supposed to be pink; any other color would be cause for concern. Red for a sick soul. Yellow for a dying soul. Green for a cursed soul. Cyrus briefly considers using the spell on Morro – but what would be the point of that? Just to confirm what they already knew.

The fourth spell takes hours to prepare, and he loses track of time. The knock on the office door startles him into fumbling the knife and nearly cutting his hand open – thankfully, he catches it in time. He doesn't need blood for this spell.

"Yes?" he says, gathering up his printouts and shoving them in a drawer with the knife. "What is it?"

"You weren't at breakfast," Morro says as he opens the door. "Your secretary said you had been working all night. What were you…"

He trails off. Cyrus realizes too late that he's forgotten to replace the rug, and the burned symbols of the second spell are clearly visible.

He opens his mouth to say something, something like – what could he say? This was exactly what it looked like. Morro's face hardens as Cyrus searches for words, and he closes the door behind him before marching over and putting his hands on Cyrus' chest.

"What –" Cyrus starts, then stops when he hears Morro mumbling three words, over and over, the same spell Cyrus had used just hours ago. Again, his chest glows pink, and Morro breathes a sigh of relief before taking his hands away.

"Whatever you're doing," he says, his voice low and dangerous, "stop."

"Morro –"

Morro snarls. "How long have you been doing this?!" he shouts. "You're going to get yourself killed or worse! _Why_ are you doing this?!"

"I told you, I had to do something –"

Morro buries his face in his hands and screams. Cyrus sits there in silence until Morro lifts his head up again. Morro always looks tired, with dark circles under his eyes, but today he looks exhausted – and Cyrus was the one who stayed up all night.

"You will get yourself killed or worse if you do this alone," Morro says.

Cyrus remembers the hands, pounding against the barrier and whispering, _morro, traitor_ – "I can't ask you to do this."

"Shut up." Morro clenches his fists. "You don't get to sacrifice yourself for me. If you want to try and lift my curse, we're doing it together, or not at all. I have experience with magic – and unless you've been hiding this from me the whole time I've been here, I have more experience than you."

Maybe he should back off. Maybe he should let it go, stop dabbling in things he doesn't understand.

"Alright," he says. "Together, then. Don't tell anyone else."

Morro rolls his eyes. "I'm not stupid. Of course I won't. Now tell me what spell you were trying to do."

* * *

Morro dreams of a forest, dead pine needles covering the ground, the trees all green and brown and colored like early autumn. He's running through the trees, gasping for breath, knowing he's being chased but not knowing who is chasing him.

His foot slides into a ditch and he lands on his back, his feet tangled up in vines. He's covered by a bush, but he can hear footsteps coming closer, and they're not going to go past without searching. His heart is pounding. A shape looms over him, barely visible through the leaves of the bush, and he sees a hand reach out and –

– grab someone else.

No, Morro tries to say, hearing Borg's yells as he's dragged away – not him, not him! But the words are stuck in his throat, and his arms and legs are too bound up to move. His whole body is frozen, he can't even open his mouth, can't move, can't breathe – not him, not him, please, please –

He wakes up with the word "please" still heavy on his tongue.


	15. Defective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god I don't even know what to warn for here. some violence, I guess. arguably a mention of disordered eating / vomiting. morro has a bad time.

Skylor looks up as the door to the noodle house is pushed open and smiles. "Hey, Nya! What brings you here today?"

Nya takes a seat at the counter and sighs. "Just noodles, please," she says.

Skylor brings her noodles and a cup of tea with them. Nya smiles as Skylor sits across from her. "We haven't seen each other in a while," Skylor says. "How are you?"

"Eh, I've been better." Nya shrugs. "I figured I'd check in with you. Kai said you've been spending a lot of time with Morro."

"Kind of, yeah." Skylor tries to speak casually, but she can feel Nya's gaze piercing into her. "I'll be honest, he reminds me a lot of myself at that age." Nya is still staring at her. Skylor frowns. "There's no problem with that, is there?"

"Oh no, don't worry," Nya says. "I honestly think it's really sweet, how you're helping him out like this."

Skylor scrunches up her face for a moment. "Yeah," she says, and Nya frowns.

"Is everything alright with you?" she asks.

Skylor sighs. Nya pushes her noodles aside and leans forward on the counter. "Is something going on with Morro?" she asks. "Aside from the whole attempted kidnapping thing. And running away. And, uh –"

"He's as fine as he can be, given the circumstances," Skylor says. "And don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be his friend. But even though he's getting better, it's going to be a while before he can be a friend back to me."

"Oh."

"Our friendship right now is me trying to pull him out of whatever dark place he's in today. Sure, I can talk to him about my father, and other things I can't tell anyone else, but…" Skylor shakes her head. "Our entire friendship shouldn't be based around ruminating on the past."

"Have you told him this?"

"Of course not, I…"

She can feel Nya's piercing gaze again. "Okay," Skylor says. "I think I get where you're coming from, but he's really not in a state to be hearing about my problems."

"Do you know that for sure?"

"Kind of?" The door opens again. Skylor ignores it to keep talking. "I mean, I haven't really tried, but that's because I can tell he'll react poorly. He can barely cope with his own problems, so…"

She trails off as the next customer slides in the seat next to Nya. "Hey, sugar, haven't seen you in a while."

Nya jerks away from him. "Ronin?!"

"Do you know this guy?" Skylor asks, narrowing her eyes at the man. He grinned at them. "I can get him to leave, if you want."

"Aw, c'mon, you wouldn't kick out a paying customer, would you?" Ronin tosses some money on the counter. "How about some puffy pot stickers?"

Skylor rolls her eyes and goes to put the order into the kitchen.

When she comes back, Nya and Ronin are talking in low voices.

"I'm just saying, Nya, I know. The Nova chick knows. We can't be the only ones who know. If you're trying to keep him a secret, you're not doing a very good job of it."

"He's not a secret, we're just…" Nya twists her hands together. "…trying to keep him on a low radar."

"Dare I ask why you're making Borg harbor the ghost who destroyed Stiix and tried to end the world?"

"We're not making Borg do anything! And he's not a ghost anymore, either!"

Ronin frowns. "So, zombie, or –"

"He's alive," Nya snaps. "Lloyd resurrected him, not that it's any of your business."

"I've got some history with the kid, I'd say it's my business."

"Okay," says Skylor. "Nya, who is this guy? And should I kick him out or no?"

"The name's Ronin –"

"Yeah, I figured that out already."

"Whatever." Ronin leans back in the seat. "The name's Ronin, and let's just say I've had some personal encounters with Morro and his ghost friends."

Skylor glares at him. "Well, whatever encounters you've had, he's not like that anymore. So leave him alone."

Ronin grins. "Sure, you can tell that to me…" He gestures at the TV screen. "Can you tell that to everyone else?"

* * *

"I'm reporting live from the foot of Borg Tower, where it's been said that inside, Cyrus Borg is harboring the leader of the ghost army that destroyed Stiix. Though Borg himself has not appeared for comment, but we've received reports that he's been spotted with a young man who bears striking resemblance to Morro – along with the same name! Rufus MacAllister, an employee at Ninjago Doomsday Comix, had this to say…"

The screen clicks off. Morro leans his head back in the seat until he's glaring at Borg upside-down.

Borg puts the remote back on the counter. "You really don't need to watch that," he says, his voice strained. "Let's… let's put on something else."

"Are we just going to lock ourselves in here until they leave?" Morro asks.

"Well, there's no way they could get past our security, so… yes."

Morro huffs and stands up. Borg quickly blocks the doorway before he can leave the room.

"You can't actually stop me," Morro says, staring down at him with his arms crossed. "I can just go around you."

"You don't actually want to go down there, Morro."

"You don't know that."

"The last time someone mentioned Stiix to you, you bolted out of the comics store and went missing for one and a half hours."

"What, were you timing me?"

Borg sighs. "No one actually knows for certain that you're… who they say you are –"

"Except that I am."

"– so all we need to do is hole up in here until this all blows over." Borg attempts a nervous grin. "I told Becky –"

"Who?"

"My secretary. She has a name, you know. I told her not to let any non-employees past the lobby – or even past the front doors, if they don't have other business – so if anyone tries to come up, they are technically trespassing, and I can legally shoot them. Not that I would ever do that."

Morro smirks. "Of course you wouldn't. You cried when I smashed that spider in the office."

"I didn't _cry,_ I was just upset."

"You definitely cried."

The sound of a helicopter snaps them out of their thoughts. "What's that?" Morro says in alarm.

Borg wheels himself to the window. "Oh goodness, they brought out the news copter? Let's go to a different room, Morro – Morro?!"

* * *

"Uh oh," says Nya, as the news reporter points in their direction. "I think she saw me."

Skylor scowls. "Well, we need to get into the tower! So what's the plan?"

"You know, I think he's rubbing off on you."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Skylor cracks a smile, then glances back and forth between the tower and the approaching news team. "Hey – you're the celebrity here, not me. How about you distract them while I get inside?"

Nya sighs. "Aww, I hate talking to reporters! They're all like, 'What's it like being the girl ninja?' and I'm like, 'Same as being a boy ninja, except a bunch of reporters ask me stupid questions!'"

"I'll bail you out as soon as I can. Give me – I don't know, ten minutes?"

"Okay, but –"

"Hey, there he is!"

Nya and Skylor snap their heads up. Morro is standing just inside the doors, while one of Borg's human security guards – as opposed to one of the nindroids – holds him back. As they watch, Morro wrenches his arm free and pushes through the revolving doors.

"Oh shit," says Skylor, and she takes off running, Nya close behind. "Hey! _Hey!_ Out of my way!"

Morro is surrounded by reporters and cameras, and Skylor sees him flinch and take a shaky step back. The reporters are shouting questions – Skylor tries to shove her way through the crowd, but there's too many of them, and she's not sure Morro can even see her. She can't even see him anymore.

"Yes!" she hears him shout. "I'm Morro! That was me! Everything that happened in Stiix – that was me!"

"Oh no," Nya says from behind Skylor. "Hey, guys! Out of the way!"

Cameras are flashing, and nobody seems to care that the Water Ninja is trying to get through them. Skylor finds she can't turn back, either – she grits her teeth and searches her mind for the appropriate elemental power.

"That's right," Morro continues, raising his voice above the crowd. "But am I really the one you should be getting mad at? I'm not – I didn't resurrect myself! I didn't ask to be brought back! Maybe – maybe you should be asking the Green Ninja why he decided to bring me back so I could _curse you all!_ "

Skylor sends a jolt of electricity through the crowd.

The reporters yelp in pain and stagger away from her, giving Skylor enough space to push them away, jump over a dropped camera, and stop in front of Morro. He blinks in surprise, his eyes wide like a cornered animal.

"What are you _doing?_ " Skylor snaps before he can say anything. "Get back inside!"

Morro clenches his fists. "I'm not –"

Someone punches him in the face.

Skylor catches him as he staggers to the side, clutching his cheek. She looks up at his assailant – some big guy with a blonde ponytail and an eyepatch, looks like he could've been from Stiix, judging from the context of punching Morro and how he says, "That's for my home, zombie boy!" immediately afterwards.

There's commotion all around them, and the man is standing between them and the door to the tower. Skylor spots Morro raising his hand and she grabs his wrist before he can use his powers. "That's only going to make things worse!" she hisses, eyes darting from side to side. One of the reporters is pleading with the crowd not to start fighting, and Skylor can't see Nya anywhere –

– right up until she hears Nya say, "Hey, hotheads! I think you all need to cool down!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Skylor sees Nya spray people with water, and the crowd starts to disperse. The man doesn't move, though, and he takes a step closer to them.

"You think I wouldn't hit a girl?" he says.

Morro growls. "Skylor, let go of me –"

"I'm not letting you fight!"

"'Cause normally I wouldn't," the man continues, "but if you don't step away from the brat, I might have to rethink that."

" _Skylor_ –"

Nya hits the guy with two water jets in the face.

"Hey!" she shouts as he wipes his eyes and glares at her. "All the beef you have with Morro – it's over, got it?" She turns to face the rest of the crowd. "This is an official statement from the ninja – we're giving him a clean slate!"

The reporters quickly get their equipment in order and the cameras start flashing again. Morro flinches. Skylor takes his shoulder and carefully leads him around the man and towards the tower doors.

"'Cause you know what?" Nya continues. "He's right! He _didn't_ ask to be brought back! Would you resurrect someone just to throw them in jail? I wouldn't! So he gets a new life, and a new start, and if any of you have a problem with that, you can go through me!"

They make it inside. Just as the door closes, Skylor hears someone shout the question, "But why did Lloyd Garmadon resurrect him?" and she doesn't bother to stick around for the answer.

* * *

_Morro spends his entire first day on Destiny's Bounty screaming and trying to fight everyone he sees. It takes a surprisingly long time before they realize there's nothing they can do to calm him and they lock him in a room alone – and he still screams, breaking everything they were stupid enough to leave in the room with him, and when he's done with that, breaking down in tears, wailing and ripping out his own hair. He falls asleep on the floor, eventually._

_The second day, he demands to talk to Lloyd. "Why?!" he yells. "Why me?! Why me and not someone,_ anyone _else?!" He doesn't get to talk to Lloyd._

_The third day – everything is a blur, that might've been when Morro was able to break down his door in the middle of the night. Not that he got very far – he made so much noise in his attempt that they were all waiting for him when the door slammed open, hitting Jay in the face. All of them except Lloyd._

_He doesn't see Lloyd again until after the first week, when Morro's relentless anger is failing him, and all he starts to feel is numb. They bring him out of his room and sit around a table discussing what to do with him. Lloyd isn't there, but midway through the meeting, Morro sees him standing in a doorway with his mother, barely visible. He doesn't remember what happens after that. Apparently Cole knocks him out. Accidentally, Wu says._

_Two weeks go by. Three weeks. When he's been alive for an entire month, Morro decides to go on a hunger strike. This lasts a full three days, until the pain is unbearable and he eats too much too fast and throws up._

_Day after day. Week after week._

_At some point, Morro concludes that the reason he was brought back, the reason Lloyd chose him – it's because he feels sorry for him. Lloyd pities him. And not for the first time, Morro wishes he was left dead._

_It's nearing two months when Wu makes the call to Borg._


	16. You blame it on all of the ones who left you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh there's… no warnings here, actually! everything's Fine (everything is not, in fact, Fine).
> 
> periodical reminder that I Love Your Comments, I treasure every one even if they're memes or jokes. especially if they're memes or jokes.
> 
> enjoy the chapter

"What were you thinking?" Borg asks him. Morro wraps his arms around himself and doesn't answer.

"I think he needs to sit down," Skylor says, holding him up. "Let's get out of the lobby."

While they're going to the elevators, Morro slips out of his body and goes back to the doors. He can hear Skylor's cry as his body suddenly goes limp in her arms, but he ignores her. Borg can reassure her if he needs to.

The Water Ninja is still talking to the crowd, trying to deflect their questions. "Well, he couldn't stay with us, so Sensei Wu had to – uh, what? That's not actually your business. Hey, maybe we should go back to asking me which boy I like more! I hate to say it, but I think I hated those questions less!"

Her phone rings. Nya turns away from the reporters to answer it. "Hello?" she says, keeping her voice low. "Kai? I'm doing damage control, didn't you see the news? Morro's gone and told everyone he's _that_ Morro!"

Morro rolls his eyes and glances behind him. Looks like Skylor and Borg have taken his body onto the elevator, because he can't see them anymore.

"Well, I'm dealing with like, fifty reporters right now, so I'm not gonna be able to leave without a really good distraction! Go make Cole propose to Jay in public or something! Yes, that's what I said! What? If it gets everyone to stop asking me to choose between them –" She pauses. "No, you should _definitely_ not send Lloyd out. I'll explain later. Can you just do something to get me out of here?"

This is going to take forever. Morro wonders if he should give up and go back to Skylor and Borg, but instead, he sits down on the floor and watches Nya hang up and turn back around.

"Okay," she says. "I will answer _one_ more question. One!"

A microphone is shoved in her face. "Why did the Green Ninja resurrect Morro?"

"I don't know. Okay, question answered! Bye!"

Morro growls under his breath, then wonders why he's bothering to stay quiet when no one can hear him.

Nya doesn't manage to get out until Kai's dragon appears overhead, causing enough of a distraction for Nya to make her escape. Morro leaves the tower and follows close behind, taking one last glance back at the tower before focusing on keeping up.

* * *

Destiny's Bounty is in the same place it was when Morro had stayed there. He hesitates when he sees it, his footsteps faltering – but obviously Nya isn't slowing down, so he has to keep going, following her onto the ship itself.

He's not sure why he's here. Skylor and Borg are probably worried about him. But he won't get answers if he stays in the tower. Morro steels his mind as he enters the main room and sees Lloyd sitting at the table, playing cards with Jay.

"Hey, Nya!" Jay says. "How did your outing go?"

Nya sighs. "Really poorly," she says, sitting down with them. Morro tears his eyes away from Lloyd while she talks. "I was just going to meet with Skylor, but Ronin showed up, and apparently the media's gotten word of Morro being at Borg Tower."

"They didn't know already?" Jay raises an eyebrow. "I mean, after that thing with Nova and the police showing up –"

Nya shrugs. "The Nova thing wasn't that long ago. Could be the news found out then but they didn't do anything about it until now. Where's Zane and Cole?"

"Zane's talking with Sensei Wu, and Cole's trying to sleep."

Nya blinks. "Do… do ghosts sleep?"

"I dunno. Ask Cole. _Hey, Cole_ –"

"Quiet, you'll wake him up!" Lloyd snaps. Morro notices he's gripping the cards so hard he's distorting the paper.

"Already happened," Cole announces, walking in and rubbing his eyes. "Not that it matters. I don't think ghosts are supposed to be able to – hey! Who invited this guy?!"

He points directly at Morro, who goes shock still. Everyone turns to look.

"There's no one there," says Jay. "You alright there, buddy?"

"Yeah! There is someone there! I'm looking at Morro right now!"

"What?!" Jay yelps. "Are you serious!"

"One hundred percent! Hey, Nya, how about you splash some –"

Morro turns and runs.

"Get back here!" Cole shouts. Morro phases through the wall and drops to the forest floor outside the ship; he doesn't get very far before hearing the soft _thud_ of Cole hitting the ground behind him. Morro keeps running, hoping he's going towards Ninjago City, but he can't see the towers through the trees.

He glances back. Cole is close behind, his face contorted in anger. "You're not getting away this time!" he shouts. Morro wonders what other time he's thinking of, then looks back at where he's running and THAT'S A STREAM. THAT'S WATER.

He pivots on one foot to change direction, narrowly avoiding slipping into the ditch. Behind him, Cole skids to a stop and continues chasing him as Morro runs alongside the stream.

"Just leave me alone!" Morro shouts over his shoulder.

"You were spying on us! What're you up to?!"

"Nothing!"

"Yeah right!"

Morro trips.

The stream curves in front of him, and Morro barely manages to grab the edge of the ravine before falling into the water. He hears Cole yelp, but the other ghost is moving too fast to stop himself from falling over the edge. Morro grabs his hand just in time, and the two of them dangle over the stream, Cole's feet mere inches from the running water.

Morro is the first to break the silence. "Why are you so heavy? You're a ghost!"

"I dunno!" Cole says, his voice pitched high in fear. "I thought you were supposed to be alive!"

"I am alive!"

"Doesn't look like it!"

"Shut up before I drop you!"

"Drop me and you _definitely_ won't be alive!"

Eventually, they manage to climb out. Once they're a safe distance from the water, Morro lowers himself to the ground and waits for his panic to subside.

Cole plops down beside him. "That was way too close," he says.

"Yeah," Morro says.

"So why were you spying on us?"

"None of your business."

"Dude, that's like, the definition of my business."

Morro growls wordlessly and crosses his arms.

"Hey," says Cole, "you basically just saved me there, so I'm willing to believe you didn't want anything that bad. But you were still spying on us, so I gotta ask: what were you doing?"

"I wanted to know why Lloyd resurrected me, okay?!"

Cole frowns. "That's it?"

"'That's it?' What do you mean, 'that's it?' I'm _alive_ because of him! I have to deal with –" Morro clenches his fists. "– _growing up_ and _having a future_ and – I still wish I was dead, sometimes!"

"Dude, I would kill you in an instant if it meant I didn't have to be a ghost anymore."

Morro opens his mouth, but doesn't say anything. Cole looks down and continues.

"You know, I wish I could tell you why Lloyd resurrected you, but I don't know either. It's not like there aren't other people who deserve to grow up and have a future." Cole opens and closes his hands, over and over. "I'm gonna be stuck like this my entire life! Or, y'know, what's left of it. And instead of resurrecting me, or his dad, or – I don't know, anyone else, Lloyd goes and resurrects you – the reason I'm like this in the first place."

"What's stopping him from going back?" Morro asks. "To the Temple, I mean."

"I asked Wu about it. Apparently they've really beefed up their security after what Lloyd did. Don't want the Temple to be used for frivolous reasons." Cole snorts. "Which is, apparently, any reason at all. Makes you think why they even keep it around. So I'm stuck like this until I touch water or the heat death of the universe, whichever comes first."

"That sucks."

"No kidding!"

Neither of them speak for a while after that. The stream burbles on beneath them.

"I'm going back to the tower," Morro says.

"What's going on with your body, anyway?"

"It's just passed out. I'm fine."

"What if someone goes and stabs it while you're like that? Will you be stuck as a ghost again?"

"I don't know, and I'm not going to find out." Morro stands up. "Bye."

"Dude," Cole says before he can get more than a few feet away. "Ninjago City's that way."

"I knew that!"

"Yeah right." Cole stands up and points. "Go that way. Keep walking until you see the road, then you should know where to go."

"Are you going to tell the others?"

"Just that you were spying on us and I chased you until I got tired."

Morro rolls his eyes and turns away. "Whatever."

"Hey, dude."

Morro faces him again. Cole scrunches up his face, then sighs. "If Lloyd ever tells us why he resurrected you, I'll make sure you know, okay?"

"Fine. Bye."

"Alright, jerk. Maybe I won't tell you."

Morro decides it's time to leave for real now, and he doesn't look back.

* * *

He makes it back to Borg Tower after a very long walk. At least the reporters are gone. Somehow it didn't feel as long when he was following Nya. Morro feels – not tired, ghosts don't get tired, but he feels something similar. A dull weariness weighing on him. Maybe he shouldn't have left his body for so long, he thinks.

Once he's inside the tower, he realizes he can't press the buttons for the elevator, so he ends up taking the stairs all the way up to the hundredth floor. When he finally gets there, the only thing keeping him going is rage, directed at no one in particular. The world, maybe.

Skylor is in his room with his body, sitting on a chair she must've dragged in and texting someone on her phone. Morro's body is tucked into bed, breathing softly. He has a bruised cheek, Morro notices. He glances at Skylor, wondering if he should wait until she's gone, but decides it's better to get it over with.

Reentering his body _hurts._ After being a ghost again for so long, every physical sensation is overwhelming, and he can't feel the difference between the weight of the blanket and the bruise on his face. Morro groans and blinks his eyes open, forcing himself to sit up.

Skylor is at his side instantly. "Morro, you stupid jerk!"

His vision is blurry. Morro rubs his eyes and squints at her.

"What was that?! You just –" Skylor gestures angrily with both arms. "– did that! Yelled at the crowd that yeah, you were the Stiix ghost, and now you're back to curse them all. What was that?!"

"I don't know," he mumbles.

"Clearly! You definitely didn't look like you knew what you were doing!"

Morro looks away.

"Is this the thing where you try to ruin your own life or something? Get everyone to hate you so you can run away and die in a hole again?"

He flinches. Skylor's voice softens. "I'm sorry, okay? But you really scared me there. Seeing you pass out didn't help, either. Just… think before you do things like that."

"Yeah," Morro says, and after a moment's pause, he adds, "I'm sorry, too."

Skylor puts an arm around him. Morro leans into her touch.

"This is going to have consequences, you know," Skylor says. "Borg is dealing with the media right now. Apparently he called Wu again."

"'Course he did."

"You'll get through this, okay? I know you will."

Morro doesn't have the energy to argue against her.


	17. I just want to die anywhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: morro throws up from panic/stress again. otherwise it's fine.

Ronin isn't easy to get ahold of, and convincing him to meet with Nya on her terms is difficult, to say the least. Eventually, he agrees to meet in a "neutral" location, or as neutral as Nya is willing to concede.

"I mean, isn't she the kid's friend or something?" he says, glancing at Skylor as she serves the other customers. She shoots a glare in his direction before disappearing into the kitchen.

"She's busy," Nya says. "She's understaffed today, so she'll leave us alone. Unless you try something."

"Yeah, don't think this place is neutral."

"Well, you're here." Nya puts a few bills on the counter. "So tell me what you know."

Ronin snatches up the money and tucks it in his jacket. "Careful there! You can't just be throwing money around in public!"

"It's not even a hundred, it's fine."

"Then I guess you get less than a hundred's worth of information."

Nya glares at him. Ronin laughs.

"Alright, I'll tell you." He leans on the counter and lowers his voice. "So there's this lady I met. Terra. She seemed to have some strong opinions on you ninja, do you know her?"

"We've met. Briefly."

"Alrighty. So you know she doesn't like you."

"Mostly we thought she just didn't want to be bothered." Nya frowns. "Was she the one who told the media?"

"Nope. That was me."

"What?!"

Ronin grins. "Calm down. I only did it 'cause she paid me."

Nya lowers her voice to a hiss. "That doesn't change that you did it! Why?!"

"Uh, 'cause she paid me?" Ronin's face falls into a frown. "Okay, no. Look, Terra went and got everyone she could find who came from Stiix and told them about Morro. Said she wanted him to pay for what he did. Now, it's not all that easy to get the news to listen to a bunch of displaced Stiix residents, but I've got my ways, and I had plenty of support behind me." He leans back in his seat. "Did you mean what you said about giving him a clean slate? Why?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? From an ethical standpoint, we shouldn't resurrect people just to punish them. It sets a bad precedent. He's already died! Twice! That should've been the end of it!"

"So why wasn't it?"

"Huh?"

"You just said he should've stayed dead, didn't you? Why didn't he?"

Nya hesitates. Ronin raises an eyebrow and waits for her to speak.

"I don't know," Nya says. "Lloyd brought him back, but he didn't tell us why. Not that it's your business. I'm the one paying _you_ for information."

"Well, that's all the information I got for you." Ronin stands up. "See you around, sugar."

Nya holds out another bill. Ronin takes it cautiously. "This is a hundred. What's it for?"

"We need to catch Terra out of her apartment. Can you help us?"

* * *

"Okay," Terra says, crossing her arms and scowling at Ronin. "I've met you here, in this dark alleyway, where I'm certain nothing suspicious is going to happen. What do you want?"

Ronin shrugs. "Eh, it's less about what I want, and more about what I was paid to do."

"You _what_ –"

Each of the ninja burst out of their hiding places; Cole punches off the manhole cover and climbs out of the sewers, Kai and Nya jump out from behind a dumpster, Lloyd lands on his feet from a nearby roof, Zane kicks open a door that had appeared boarded-up, and Jay struggles to free himself from a trashcan.

"A little help, guys?" Jay says, falling over with a clatter.

Ronin waves and walks away whistling.

"Are you serious?" Terra says, taking a few steps back, glancing at Zane behind her. "You paid Ronin to lure me here?"

"Basically, yeah," says Kai.

"We have some questions for you," says Zane.

"Really," says Terra. "Well, you're not getting any answers."

"Oh really?" Nya says. "Because we're not leaving without them!"

Cole glances at the ground, where Jay is rolling around stuck. "Jay, stop playing in the trash, you're making us look bad."

"Because ambushing an innocent woman in a dark alley really makes you look good."

"Enough of this!" Lloyd advances towards her until he's right in Terra's face. "We know you paid Ronin to tell the media about Morro. What are you and Nova up to?"

Terra puts her hands up and rolls her eyes. " _We_ aren't up to anything. I haven't spoken to Nova in years."

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Cole says, attempting to tug Jay out of the trashcan. "Because we don't!"

"It doesn't matter if you believe me, because it's true. I moved to the city after I got kicked out of the Temple, and we lost touch by the time the place shut down."

"So you're going after Morro for fun or something?" Kai says.

Terra's mouth twitches and she doesn't answer.

"See?" Jay says. "She is up to something! Ow! Cole, quit pulling so hard!"

"How'd you even get this stuck?! You're gonna stink for weeks!"

"I told you the trashcan was smaller than normal! You were all like, 'Quick, Jay, she's gonna be here any minute,' and I was like, 'I don't know, maybe I should find somewhere else,' and you were like, 'Just get in the trash, Jay!' and I was like –"

"So what are you going to do?" Terra says. "I'm not telling you anything more. Are you going to try and get me to talk?"

"We have our ways," Zane says. "If you don't talk, we're going to force you to listen to Jay and Cole arguing until you break."

"Really."

"– you're just jealous 'cause you don't have my super strength!"

"Oh yeah, I'm _so jealous_ of the guy who thinks it's cool to hide in the sewers so he can dramatically punch off the manhole cover –"

"You totally are! And it was cool!"

"No!"

Terra groans. "Fine," she says. "She sent me a letter, okay? A few weeks ago, I got a letter from her saying she had found someone who had escaped the Cursed Realm. Then she went and tried to kidnap the ghost brat. I put two and two together, and decided to help her out some. Turn the city against him. Not that it was very hard."

Lloyd scowls. "Well, whatever you're doing, just stop! You and Nova both! Leave him alone!"

"Why do you care so much?" Terra jabs a finger at Lloyd's chest, sending him stumbling backwards. "You went to all that trouble to resurrect him – but he doesn't seem grateful for it! Quite the opposite, in fact –"

"Hey!" Kai shouts. "That's none of your business, old lady!"

"I'm thirty-two!"

"Why's your hair white, then?"

"I have albinism, jerk!"

"Everyone calm down!" Nya says loudly. "Listen, Terra, we'll stop bothering you after this, but we need to know what Nova's planning. Did she tell you anything else in her letter?"

"No," Terra says. "Nothing that's relevant. She didn't say why she wanted Morro, or what she was going to do with him, if that's what you're wondering."

The ninjas all glance at each other. "So is that it?" Kai says. "We just… leave?"

"I guess," says Lloyd. "You promise to leave him alone?"

"I've done what I wanted to do," says Terra. "I don't care anymore. Just make sure you leave _me_ alone."

"Yeah, okay," says Kai, just as Cole finally frees Jay from the trashcan and sends them both toppling over into the garbage. "Let's get out of here. Jay, you need a shower. Cole, you… need to do something to not smell bad."

"Thanks, Kai," Cole says, rolling his eyes.

"I'm leaving now," Terra says. Zane steps to the side as she turns and walks past him, back to where she came.

"Okay," says Nya. "Let's head back. C'mon, Lloyd."

"Yeah," says Lloyd, staring at where Terra went. "Okay. Let's go."

* * *

Cole leans away from Jay as he sits next to him. "Hey, stay back! You're all wet!"

"I've seen you in the rain before, Cole, my wet hair isn't going to hurt you."

"It won't _kill_ me, but, actually, it will hurt me!" Cole glares at him. "The rain hurt a lot, too! I'm lucky to still be here!"

Jay frowns. "Are you okay? You've been a lot angrier than usual. What's going on?"

Cole scowls down at the table. "Maybe I'm starting to realize just how much being a ghost sucks."

"I thought it was pretty cool? You can like, go through things, possess things, all sorts of cool stuff."

"Yeah, well, try trading places with me. See how it feels. 'Cause it sucks!"

Cole crosses his arms and looks away. Jay's frown turns to concern.

"I'm sorry, Cole, I didn't realize you felt that bad. Do… do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he mutters. "It's not like any of you are gonna understand. There's only one person who _might_ understand – and I'm not gonna talk to Morro about this garbage."

"It's not garbage! I mean, yeah, no, don't talk to _him_ about it, but – it's fine to feel awful! You should feel bad! I mean, you're literally dead!"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for reminding me."

Jay winces. "Sorry. I'm really bad at this."

"I noticed." Cole sighs. "It's fine, though. It's not like we can bring me back or anything, so I should probably suck it up and get used to it."

Jay puts a hand on his shoulder. Cole considers going incorporeal, then decides to allow the gesture of sympathy.

"Hang on," Jay says suddenly, taking his hand away. "Who says we can't bring you back? The Temple of Resurrection is like, right there."

"Uh, Wu told us, the Temple's security –"

Jay makes a fluttery gesture in the air. "So what! We're ninja, and you're a ghost! You can walk through walls! We can get past them, no problem! Besides, once you're resurrected, it won't matter if we're caught, 'cause we'll have done what we needed to do!"

Cole gapes at him. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I'm serious, you're my best friend!" Jay grins. "Why should you have to stay a ghost while freakin' Morro gets to live, anyway?"

"But we'll get in so much trouble –"

"Lloyd got off fine! Didn't even get lectured or anything! C'mon, Cole, you don't honestly want to _not_ try, do you?"

Cole hesitates, then nods. "Alright," he says. "Let's try it."

"That's the spirit! Pun not intended – ow! Why'd you punch me?!"

* * *

The Water Ninja says she'll come to the tower to deliver the news in person. Morro thinks about asking Borg not to let her, but Borg has been doing so much for him already – it'd be too much to ask this of him, too. So he texts Skylor and asks her to come over.

< You don't need to be afraid of her.  
< She meant it when she said you had a clean slate.

are you coming or not >

< Sure. She's my friend.

Morro grumbles to himself and puts his phone away.

Borg is busy; some important meeting that is probably Morro's fault. So the Water Ninja meets him and Skylor in an empty conference room, and Morro sits at the table next to Skylor with a basket of sugar packets.

"This place is big," Nya comments, sitting down across from them. "What floor are we even on?"

"Fifty," Morro says, putting a sugar packet in his mouth.

"Huh. You eat paper now?"

_you killed me you killed me you killed me_

Morro scowls and eats another one.

"Alright," says Nya. "Well, part of why I'm here is to tell you that we found out how the media got the information about you. Apparently, Nova's old friend – Terra – well, she doesn't like you."

"I forgot to ask," Skylor says, "is she from Stiix or something?"

_wave rising behind me crashing down her grip tight around me you killed me_

"No, she just wanted to make it 'easier for Nova' – her words! Well, paraphrased."

_would have won if it weren't for you would have cursed all sixteen realms would have won_

"Hey, are you alright?"

That's Skylor's voice. Both she and Nya are looking at Morro, who is crushing a sugar packet under his fist. "I'm fine," he says, grinding the granules into the table.

"Are you sure?" Nya asks. "I'm also here to check up on you, you know."

_you killed me you killed me should've killed you first_

"I'm fine," he repeats.

"You're awfully skinny. You're eating something besides paper and sugar, right?"

"I don't need your sympathy, _Water Ninja._ "

He spits out her title like poison, feeling it weigh heavy on his tongue even after it's spoken. The room's atmosphere darkens. Nya looks offended, almost, before shaking her head.

"You know, I'm the one who got the news crews off your back," she says. "Least you could do is be a little nicer."

 _you killed me you killed me_ "You killed me," Morro says.

His head is buzzing. He can hear the whispers of the Cursed Realm calling his name. Nya says something, but Morro can't hear her. His fist is sweaty and the sugar is sticking to his hand. Skylor is talking to him, her head right beside him. He can't hear her. He digs his nails into his palm and focuses on the pain, the visceral feeling of being alive and not _cold darkness writhing in agony reaching for the light hands holding him down –_

At the very least, Skylor manages to get him to a sink before he throws up.

"It's fine," Skylor tells him, and he can finally hear her over the buzzing. "It's not really surprising, anyway. You have all those memories tied to her, I guess. Here, you should rinse your mouth out."

They're in a kitchenette attached to the main room, with a sink, refrigerator, and microwave. Skylor puts a glass of water on the counter next to him. Morro wants to die.

"Is she gone?" he asks.

"No. Do you want her to leave?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Give me a second."

Skylor steps back out into the conference room. Morro can hear her and Nya talking in low voices. Morro takes a few deep breaths and tries to quell the nausea rising inside him. He turns on the faucet and closes his eyes.

* * *

Back in his room, Morro finds himself navigating online searches on his phone, trying to find the local news. It's not too hard; all he has to do is search his own name. None of the articles are particularly flattering.

He finds a video of Nya, shouting at the crowd. She looks angry. She had seemed so serene when she drowned the Preeminent.

 _"He's right! He_ didn't _ask to be brought back! So he gets a new life, and a new start, and if any of you have a problem with that, you can go through me!"_

Her. Not, "You can go through us, the ninja." But her specifically. Morro wonders if there's any significance to that.


	18. But God, I love some people sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18 chapters in and the little devilish creature in my brain is demanding I add my ship so uhhh if you don't like nya/skylor I have bad news
> 
> warnings for this chapter: more magic stuff, maybe weird hallucination stuff IDK

Borg is hesitant to tell him the spells he had been casting – for good reason, Morro soon finds out. The circle of runes burned into the office floor had been a window to the Cursed Realm. Morro tries not to let the horror he feels show on his face, but unsuccessfully, because Borg asks him if he's alright.

"You really don't have to do this with me," Borg says, wringing his hands together. "I'm perfectly fine doing this by myself."

Morro snorts. "And get yourself dragged into the Cursed Realm? I'm not letting that happen. Why are you smiling?"

"Oh, no reason, just…" Borg turns his wheelchair away and hums to himself as he starts shutting down the computer screens. "It's nice to hear, that's all."

"Whatever. So what were you planning on doing?"

Borg drops his smile, his expression turning serious. "The first spell I did informed me that there are multiple ways of removing a curse from someone's soul. Unfortunately, I only was only informed of one of those ways, which is… not an option."

"Offering someone else to take my place, right?"

"…yes. How did you…"

Morro rolls his eyes. "I was there for fifty years. There were people who got out that way."

"Do you know any other ways?"

"No. I didn't know there were other ways. She –" Morro has to take a deep breath before he can continue. "She said the only way was through bargaining with her."

No one looked for him. No one tried to save him. No one even knew he was there, with Wu sitting in the monastery hoping he'd come back one day.

"I won't accept that," Borg says. "I'm not even willing to consider it as a last resort. There are other ways, we just have to find them. I have some theories."

"You have theories."

"Yes! Granted, they're based on my perspective as an outsider, but… well." Borg frowns. "Perhaps there's a way to override your curse with another curse, but a good one?"

"You mean a blessing. There are no good curses, that's called a blessing."

"Right. That's what I meant, I just don't usually use that sort of language." Borg picks up a stack of printouts and hands them to Morro. "Most spells that happen by incantation are temporary," he says as Morro flips through the papers. "Which you probably already knew, but – anyway. That means that if a spell is to have permanent effects, it needs a physical element, like a potion."

Morro remembers the tea and shudders. "So we're going to make potions," he says. "Do you have ingredients?"

"I have some! They're, ah, not always things that are easy to get. But!" Borg rolls backwards to a stack of drawers and pulls one open, revealing carefully packaged collections of dried leaves. "I have these! And the weather's finally started to warm up, so I even have some plants up on the roof! They're not going to be ready for a while, though. They're still just sprouts."

"You're… you're really serious about this." Morro blinks rapidly, his vision blurring with what are definitely-not-tears. Maybe he's allergic to one of the plants in the drawer. The plants that are sealed in airtight plastic bags.

"Of course I am! Did you think I wasn't?"

"I just…" Morro takes a deep, shuddering breath. "You're really doing something. You're not – you're not sitting around and waiting for things to change. You're…"

"One of the side effects of being an atheist is that you know there's no God to come and make everything better. You have to make it better yourself." Borg smiles. "At least, that's how I see it. Then again, I've always taken on a lot of responsibility for the people I care about."

Morro wipes his eyes on his sleeve and squints down at the printouts. "So which one are we going to start with?"

* * *

The potion is supposed to grant "true sight," whatever that means. Morro hasn't heard of it before. The process is much like making tea; they put the dried leaves in boiling water and recite the incantation while it steeps. Morro's hands are shaking, and he can barely hold the mug when the spell is done.

"Alright," Borg says, turning away for a few moments. "Now, there should be a way to confirm that we did everything right, so before you –" He looks back to see Morro downing the tea. "Morro!"

Morro lowers the mug and cringes. "I think I burned my tongue."

"Why did you drink that?!"

"Is this not what we planned?"

Borg throws his hands in the air. "We don't know what the effects are! We might've not done it right! I was going to drink it!"

Morro shrugs. "My soul's already cursed. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could die!"

"You just said you were going to drink it!"

"I'm the adult here! It's my responsibility to –"

"I'm older than you!"

"You really, _really_ aren't!"

"I was born before you were, what else do you –"

He trails off. Something odd is happening to his vision; strange shapes are materializing in the corners of the room. Borg is glowing pink; there's a reason for that, right? His thoughts are starting to feel muddled. Morro looks down at his own body, glowing green.

"Morro? Are you alright?"

"I'm seeing things," he says. "Things like…"

Translucent green hands, reaching up from the floor, pawing at his legs. Morro stumbles backwards, his breathing getting faster. The hands don't touch him, can't touch him – is he imagining the chill as they pass through his body?

"Morro! What are you seeing?"

He can't get away. His legs are frozen. Part of him knows he needs to calm down, that it's the tea affecting his mind – but he's so lost in fear that when Borg takes his hand he screams.

"It's alright! It's just us, it's just –" Borg's eyes dart from side to side, searching the room for whatever Morro is seeing. "It's fine. You're fine. Do you need to sit down?"

Morro finally finds words. "They – they won't go away, they – oh God, they know where I am –"

He squeezes his eyes shut. He can still see the faint glow of green. He feels Borg's hand again, gripping his own, and he squeezes back, clinging to the warmth. His own body feels so cold.

He keeps his eyes shut even as Borg leads him to a chair, stumbling through the room. He takes gasping breaths as he sits, Borg holding his hand with one of his own, his other hand on Morro's back. 

"That wasn't a permanent potion," he says, "but it might take a while to wear off. You drank the whole thing, Morro! Next time, don't do that!"

"Are they gone?" Morro whispers.

"I… I don't know. I can't see what you're seeing."

Morro opens his eyes a crack. The hands are still there. He closes them again.

"Do you feel alright to go up to your room?" Borg asks.

"No."

"That's fine. Do you want to stay here?"

"I can't –" He shudders. "I can't see, I can't –"

"That's fine. We'll stay here until you're ready to move."

The tea doesn't wear off until hours later, but by then, Morro's managed to regain his senses enough to make it to his room and sleep off the rest. His nightmares leave him shaking and sobbing, but that's hardly worse than usual.

* * *

"I need to get out of this city," Skylor says over the phone. "Not forever, just for a day. People are starting to recognize me on the street after the news thing."

"I get that," Nya responds. "How about a hike? I know some good places, and it's pretty unlikely we'll meet anybody on the trails."

"Sounds good. Can you pick me up at the restaurant?"

The mountain Nya takes her to is more of a hill than a proper mountain. The hike feels like a nature walk, as they chat about nothing in particular, and they reach the top easily. They sit by the edge of the grassy clifftop and look out at the view; mostly forest and fields, with a slow river winding through the landscape.

Eventually, Nya speaks up. "This was really nice."

"Yeah," Skylor says.

"Us ninja haven't had a lot of things to do the past year. Lots of media stuff. Dareth wants to be our manager, get us some publicity – we've had to reel him back a _lot._ "

"Who's Dareth?"

"You don't remember? The brown ninja? He's not an elemental master, he just calls himself that. We kind of took over his training studio once, and now we're friends." Nya wrinkles her nose. "Kind of. He's been treating me weird ever since I became a ninja. Like, super cool samurai who built her own suit and tech – that's fine. Water powers are less fine, apparently."

Skylor smiles. "You know, sometimes I have to pretend to be a guy over email when I'm doing the orders for the restaurant."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! It's awful!"

"You would think society's moved beyond that by now." Nya sighs. "Guess not!"

"We'll get there eventually." Skylor notices a clover blossom near her hand; she picks it and twists the stem between her fingers. "Kinda nice to complain about it, though."

"Be nicer to have less things to complain about." Nya shrugs and lets herself fall back onto the grass. "Oh well. How have been things going with the restaurant?"

"Pretty cool. My father kept it pretty separate from his actual identity, so it wasn't too hard to keep it running after he disappeared. Lots of people jumped at the chance to supply our food, so even the factory shutting down wasn't a big deal. I had to learn a lot about running a business, though, and we lost some money the first year, but I think I'm handling it pretty well. It's been fun, too, learning about it. There's like, a routine, and even just sitting down and writing all the employee's checks can be pretty calming, sometimes."

"You really settled in well. I've heard people say the food is even better, now!"

"It really is! I've been letting the chefs experiment more – my father was really strict about sticking to the formula, which, y'know, worked, but change can be really good, sometimes! Just as long as we keep the classics, y'know?"

"Tell me about the kinds of food you have. I haven't really visited you much, so I don't really know."

Skylor is happy to ramble on and on, describing all the dishes from the classics they kept from when her father ran the restaurant to what the chefs have been experimenting with. They started their hike in the morning, and it's only when the sun is high in the sky that she realizes exactly how long they've been out.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't realize how late it was! I'm sorry, Nya, I didn't mean to keep you out for this long."

"Hey, it's fine!" Nya says quickly. "You said you wanted to get out for the day, and I didn't have any other plans. The boys can call me if there's an emergency."

Skylor shrugs and smiles. "I'm sure you have better things to do than to listen to me talk…"

"I like listening to you talk," Nya blurts out, and her face flushes.

"That's…" Skylor can feel her own cheeks growing hot, with how flustered Nya is all of a sudden. "That's really sweet, Nya. I'm glad you're willing to put up with me."

"Put up with you? What?" Nya sits back up and looks at Skylor in alarm. "Why would I have to put up with you? You're really nice to be around!"

Skylor laughs nervously. "Well, I try not to be overbearing. Listen more than talk, y'know? You're the first person I've opened up to like this."

It's embarrassing to say it out loud. Skylor looks away, continuing to play with the flower in her hand. "Sorry," she says.

Nya reaches over and puts her hand on Skylor's knee. "You don't need to apologize," she says. "We should do this again sometime."

Skylor smiles. "Yeah," she says, and on impulse, she reaches over and puts the clover blossom in Nya's hair. "Let's."


	19. No time to think of consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings here. all things considered this is a chill chapter.
> 
> i love and appreciate your comments. thanks for reading

Pixal calls while Cyrus is in the office with Morro. He almost doesn't answer, but she'll be suspicious if he doesn't, so he quickly tells Morro to hide the most recent potion they've made, shoves the dried leaves back in the drawer they came from, and directs the call from his phone to one of the computers, seeing Pixal's digital avatar appear up on the screen.

"Good morning!" he says brightly, plastering on a broad smile and hoping that the webcam won't be able to pick up how forced it is. "What a welcome surprise, Pixal, Zane – Morro, come say hi!"

Morro half-heartedly waves at the screen from where he's standing, out of the webcam's view. Cyrus keeps forgetting that technology isn't intuitive for him. He directs Morro to where the camera is, and Morro stands next to him.

"You haven't used this office in a long time, Father," Pixal says. "It looks… different."

"Yes! It's clean now!" Cyrus manages a more real smile and gestures to Morro, who steps out of the camera's field of vision. "Morro and I made it our personal project! It's actually gotten messier since we first cleaned it up, maybe we should take the time to neaten it again…"

Zane's avatar appears on the screen. "Seems like you've settled in well, Morro," he says. "That's good."

"Whatever," Morro grumbles.

Cyrus turns and smiles, motioning for Morro to step back into view. "Morro, this is the first time you've met Pixal, isn't it! I have told you about her, right?"

"No," Morro says, "you completely failed to mention the fact that you have a robot daughter, and you definitely haven't told me about her dozens of times."

"…that was sarcasm, right –"

"Yes, it was sarcasm."

"I'm limited to an A.I. these days," Pixal says.

"Hardly limited, now," Cyrus says with a chuckle. "You certainly have no problem accessing our network, and you have Zane to take you where you want to go…"

Suddenly, the reason Morro is so uncomfortable occurs to him – Morro and the ninja hadn't had good experiences with each other, to say the least. That would obviously extend to Zane. Cyrus turns away from the webcam for a moment, looking to Morro.

"Do you want to leave?" he asks. "It's perfectly understandable if you do. We can continue our project after this call."

"I'm fine," Morro says. Zane and Pixal stay quiet.

"Are you sure? You haven't, ah, told me much about your time with the ninja, but –"

"Zane was fine," Morro interrupts. "He left me alone."

Zane smiles. "It would be nice to get to know you in a context where we aren't enemies," he says. "And since my current body was created by Borg Industries, I believe we could be considered family now."

Cyrus inhales sharply and glances at Morro, who's gone stiff and wide-eyed, staring at the screen. His hands are shaking.

Zane's smile falls into a frown. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah," Cyrus starts, but Morro speaks before he can get any words out.

"What makes you think we're family?" he says.

Pixal speaks up. "My father expressed interest in becoming your legal guardian, did he not?"

Cyrus attempts to convey how poorly the conversation on that subject had gone through facial expression alone.

"Both of you seem very uncomfortable," Zane says. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine!" Cyrus squeaks. "Just, ah, maybe we should change the subject."

"I think I do want to leave, actually," Morro says. "I'll be in my room."

"That's fine! Take care of yourself!"

Once Morro is gone, Cyrus slumps back in his wheelchair.

"Did it not work out?" Zane asks.

"Give me a moment." Cyrus takes out his phone and turns his head away. "Hello? Becky? Yes, please keep an eye on Morro for me. Just make sure he doesn't leave the building, at least not without anyone knowing. Alright? Yes. Thank you."

He puts the phone away and sighs. "When I broached the subject of becoming his legal guardian," he says, "he panicked and tried to run away to Stiix." Cyrus shakes his head. "He said he… couldn't do it. I've tried to respect that."

"He knows that he needs to have legal documentation, correct?" Pixal frowns. "If you are not his guardian, there's… not much other choice."

"There's not much harm in fudging his age on the papers and saying he's an adult. His actual age is indeterminate as it is. We can't exactly use his actual birthdate, even if he did remember it."

"Do you know for certain if he's opposed to the idea?" Zane says. "It may have just been because he was living with us, but it seems that Morro's first instinct when confronted with kindness is to reject it."

"That's been my experience with him as well. We've made some progress on that front, but if I push to far, he does something drastic." Cyrus attempts another, clearly forced smile. "There's still been progress, though! Slow, but it's there!"

"That's good, at least."

Pixal's avatar flickers. Cyrus frowns. "Pixal? Are you still there?"

"Yes," she says. "My apologies, I'm a little distracted. I was just notified that Nova was sighted at Stiix."

Cyrus' breath catches in his throat. "Just now?!" he yelps.

Zane frowns, and his eyes wander. Though he's only visible as an avatar, he's clearly not looking at the screen anymore. "I suppose it's good that she's so far away, but it's worrying where she was spotted. I'm going to let the others know."

"I suppose we'll cut our conversation short, then." He doesn't bother forcing a smile this time. "It was good to talk to you again – please do keep in touch. I love you!"

When the conversation is over, Cyrus doesn't have the energy to continue their potion-making. He sighs, sends a quick text to Morro to let him know he doesn't have to come back down, then decides it would be best to catch up on the paperwork he's been neglecting.

* * *

"So Nova was spotted," Kai says, flying his dragon alongside Lloyd's. "Does she know she was spotted? Is she gonna be expecting us?"

"The details are unclear," Zane says. "It may be that she deliberately engineered this sighting in order to lure us here."

"Sure," says Cole, sitting behind Jay on his dragon, "but that would mean she thinks we care enough to actually stop whatever she's doing."

"Uh, yeah," Jay says. "We do want to stop whatever she's doing, Cole. That's kind of why we're here."

"No, I mean she'd have to _know_ –"

"It doesn't matter if she knows," Lloyd interrupts, "because we're going to stop her no matter what."

"That's right," Kai says. "But it'd be good to know if she did know, y'know? Hey sis, what do you think?"

Nya shakes her head and blinks. "What? What are we talking about?"

"You seem distracted," Zane says. "Is something wrong?"

"No!" Nya says quickly. "I'm fine, just… thinking."

"Well, you need to think about the mission," Lloyd says.

"Dude, what's gotten into you?" Cole says. "You're not usually so… uppity!"

"I'm plenty uppity!"

"Guys!" Kai said loudly. "We can talk about this later, we're almost to Stiix. We should probably get off our dragons so she doesn't see us coming from a mile away."

"By my calculations, we're already within a mile's range of –"

"It's a figure of speech, Zane! You've gotta know that, you're just messing with me!"

They walk the rest of the way. The six ninja keep to the shadows as they approach the docks, though they hesitate at the shoreline, their backs to the rock formations as they peer out at the abandoned town.

"Should we search the docks?" Nya whispers. "There isn't much there, not after the salvage operation ended."

"She was spotted heading in this direction," Zane says, "but that's the limit of our information."

"Maybe she's on a boat," Kai says. "Or she's somewhere on the shore? Honestly, she could be anywhere!"

"Maybe we should split up," Lloyd says.

"No!" Jay shouts. "Splitting up always leads to something bad happening!"

"He has a point," Cole says. "We shouldn't go alone. Let's go in pairs. Jay and I will take the shore."

"Sounds good," Kai says. "Lloyd, let's go and search the docks."

"Guess that leaves you and me for to check for boats, Zane," says Nya.

Lloyd nods. "Alright then. Let's go!"

* * *

"Man, there are a lot of caves around here," Jay comments, squinting into the stony depths.

Cole shudders. "It's not high tide, is it? Are we gonna have to worry about getting washed out?"

"You're fine, Cole, it's going down to low tide right now. We've got time."

"Well, excuse me for being worried –"

"I'm trying to reassure you!"

The next cave they find is large and goes back far enough that they both have to go in to look. Cole keeps glancing towards the entrance while Jay uses his electricity to light the way. "You're absolutely sure –"

"This cave is above the tide line, it's all good."

"Okay. Just making sure."

Eventually, the cave slopes downwards, and a dark pit of water blocks their path. "It might keep going," Jay comments, "but I'm not going in there, so I guess it's time to turn back."

"Hang on," said Cole. "Let's rest for a bit."

Jay looks at him with one eyebrow raised. "What? We've barely gone far at all –"

"I want to talk about the Temple thing, dummy."

"Oh."

They sit down on the ground. The cave is fairly dry, despite the water a few feet away. Cole sighs and rests his head in his hands. "How are we gonna do it?" he asks.

"I haven't talked to Lloyd about it, 'cause he really doesn't like talking about it – but he said before, when he first got back, all he had to do was stand in the center of some big room and use his power to make it happen. I can do that with my lightning power!"

"I mean, we gotta get in, past the weird scholars, into the temple, which is falling apart, sure, but if their security's been upped…"

"You're a ghost, though! You can just walk through all their defenses!"

"Nope!" an unfamiliar voice says cheerfully. "The Temple's got all sorts of anti-ghost defenses. Deepstone and vengestone both! You'll never make it in."

Jay and Cole snap their heads towards the entrance. A tall woman with blonde hair done up in curls and a tight-fitting business suit and skirt. She smiles brightly at them and continues.

"At least," Nova says, "not without inside information."

"How long have you been there?!" Jay yelps, jumping up and preparing his powers, sparks flying out of his hands. Cole quickly gets to his own feet.

Nova shrugs. "Long enough. You're trying to resurrect someone, right?" Her gaze rests on Cole. "And I think I can figure out who, ghost boy."

"So you're just gonna help us out of the goodness of your heart?" Cole snorts. "Yeah right. What do you want?"

Nova raises her hands and smiles. "Nothing from you," she says. "I just happened to overhear your conversation. I don't want any trouble."

"But you want something," Cole says. "What is it?"

"Yeah!" Jay says. "You already tried to kidnap Morro! And we know you're planning something with the Cursed Realm!"

"I'm not planning anything with the Cursed Realm," Nova says.

"Liar!" One of Jay's sparks shoots out and hits Cole, who yelps in pain. Jay winces. "Sorry!"

Nova sighs. "Listen," she says. "I can help you. I can give you all the information you need to get inside the Temple of Resurrection. I just want one thing in return."

Jay narrows his eyes and exchanges a glance with Cole. Simultaneously, they relax their stances, and Jay dismisses his lightning.

"Alright," Cole says. "What do you want?"

Nova beams at them. "You don't have to do anything difficult," she says. "Just… the next time Morro gets in trouble… look the other way, and make sure you ninja don't interfere."

Cole glares at her. "And what are you gonna do with him?"

"Nothing that's not inevitable."

"What does that mean?" Jay says.

"She's going to take him to the Cursed Realm," Cole says.

"Ah." Jay pauses. "Wait, so you are planning something with the Cursed Realm! You are a liar!"

"I'm not doing anything with it, all I'm doing is fulfilling my end of a bargain." Nova shrugs again. "I'll help you as much as I can in return. Admittedly, there's not much I can do – they won't exactly let me back into the Temple without calling the police."

"Because of the graverobbing thing," Jay says.

"That and the necromancy. It's kind of a taboo subject there."

"We don't want your help," Cole says through a clenched jaw. "Jay, we need to tell the others."

Nova frowns. "Really? You're going to a lot of effort, going after me. I promise I'm not doing anything to endanger Ninjago, or any of the other sixteen realms."

"I don't care!" Cole shouts. "You're obviously up to something! I'm not gonna sit around and let you do it!" He crouches down and puts both hands on the ground. "Now don't go anywhere, or else –"

Nova turns and runs.

Cole can feel his elemental power coursing through the stone, running up the walls and to the ceiling – but Nova is too fast, and she's already clear outside when the mouth of the cave collapses. Once the rumbling stops, Cole and Jay sit there coughing in the dust, then Jay lights up his hand again.

"Great job, Cole!" he says. "You trapped us in a cave!"

Cole groans and flops facedown on the ground.

"No time to sit around and mope! We gotta dig our way out of here, and, unfortunately, I don't have super strength…"


	20. Proximity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now, in the early parts of this fic, I said in the discord server this fic was born in that if it went on for 20 chapters, I'd write my self insert into the story to fix everything and give morro a hug. now, we've reached chapter 20, and that's not happening. sorry. hopefully this chapter where Nothing Bad Happens (for serious, no sarcasm) will make up for morro not getting a hug.
> 
> my apologies if kai is out of character here.

< so to recap  
< jay and cole found nova  
< and got stuck in a cave for like 2 hours but whatevs  
< she asked them to  
< and this is a quote  
< look the other way the next time morros in trouble  
< so uh  
< maybs tell borg to keep an eye on him  
< ???  
< u there

I'm here. >  
Sorry, I can't text in front of my employees. >

< why not

Because I always tell them not to use their phones while working. >

< ur the boss u get special privileges dont u

I don't, actually. >

< well thats the deets  
< hey u wanna meet up sometime?  
< be nice to talk in person

Sure! I'm available after work today. Late afternoon, one of the managers takes over then. >

< awesome ill be there

Skylor texts back, "Sounds good," and quickly hides her phone before any of her employees can see.

Later, as she's getting ready for Kai's visit, Skylor gets another text. It's from Morro this time, and her stomach lurches when she reads it.

< im coming over  
< dont tell borg

Skylor frantically texts him back.

That might not be the best idea. >  
The woman who kidnap you was spotted recently. >

< yeah in stiix  
< ill be fine

Did something happen? >

< no im just sick of staying in the tower all day  
< borg still won't let me leave  
< so i snuck out the window

Which window? >

< 8th floor  
< nothing higher  
< im not stupid  
< im almost there talk to you soon

Skylor groans and slumps face-down on the break room's table, earning a confused look from the one employee on break. Not five minutes later, she hears a knock on the back door.

"What's up!" Kai says, grinning broadly. "Great to see you when, uh, no one's crying!"

Skylor rolls her eyes and sighs. "Listen," she says, "Morro's coming over."

"What?!"

"Before you ask, I didn't invite him, but he's my friend. I'm not going to say he can't come over. So play nice, okay?"

Kai frowns, then shrugs and grins again. "Sure, no probs! I mean, hey, if he won't try anything, I won't. Friend of a friend is… uh, not my friend, but doesn't have to be my enemy anymore, right?"

"That's probably the best I'm gonna get out of you." Skylor manages a smile. "Alright! I'll let him know you're gonna be here."

"Wait, he doesn't know?"

"He'll know in a minute." Skylor takes out her phone and sends the text. "Or when he gets here. Whichever comes first."

One of the chefs pokes his head in the break room. "Hey, boss? Your friend's here."

Kai laughs. "Guess that came first!"

Skylor shakes her head and goes to fetch Morro.

* * *

Morro is still staring at his phone in disbelief when Skylor comes out of the back room. "Hey," she says when he looks up. "Did you get my text?"

He scowls at her. "Why is Kai here?"

"We made plans. This was before you told me you were coming." Skylor smiles at him. "I know you've had some rough stuff with him –"

"That's one way to put it."

"– but I already told him you would be here, and he's fine. You're both my friends, so just…" She hesitates. "Try and tolerate him for one evening."

"…fine."

Morro follows Skylor to the back room, where Kai is lounging in one of the folding chairs. He grins and waves. "Hey," he says, pauses, and adds, "Morro."

Morro's mouth twitches. "Kai."

"What's the plan?" Skylor asks. "I kind of doubt you want to sit in here for the whole evening, so we're going out, right?"

"Eh, I was thinking of hitting up the mall, get some fast food." Kai shrugs. "Nothing fancy."

"What's the mall?" Morro asks.

Kai grins, which makes Morro regret asking. "Basically a bunch of stores all in one building. Or, I dunno, sometimes there are outdoor malls, but this one's indoors. You buy junk. You got money?"

"Yes." Not that he's checked his bank account in a while, but there must be something in there, since he's spent very little money.

"Great! Let's get in the car!"

Kai does not have a car. They take the bus. Morro pulls his hood over his face and hunches over in his seat. Skylor slides in next to him and gives him a pat on the back, while Kai takes one of the seats in front of them.

"Hey," someone whispers, loud enough for Morro to overhear. "Is that the Red Ninja?"

Loud enough for Kai to hear, too. "Nope!" he says, and the two kids jerk their heads up, wide-eyed. "I just look like, sound like, and have the same name as him!"

Skylor sighs. "Maybe we should've walked," she says.

Kai turns in his seat to look at her, eyebrows raised. "That far? I don't think so. If anything else, we should've gone by dragon."

"That's definitely the Red Ninja," the kid whispers. Morro isn't sure if it can be called whispering anymore, since they're doing a very bad job of staying quiet.

"But who're those with him?"

"Dunno. They don't look like any of the other ninja…"

"Yeah, the Water Ninja doesn't have red hair, and she's the only girl."

Morro groans as the conversation continues and lets his head fall against the window.

The kids don't shut up for the entire ride. Miraculously, no one else recognizes Kai – or Skylor or Morro, for that matter – and they manage to disembark at their stop without any trouble. The mall is big; not as big as Borg Tower, but that's in a different category altogether. There's a lot of people getting on and off the bus, and Morro sticks close to Skylor as she walks in with Kai.

The inside is noisy to his ears and eyes both, crowds of people chattering and walking through the aisles, each individual storefront demanding his attention all at once, some sort of music that Morro decides he doesn't like piping in from an unknown source – he stands frozen in the entrance, and Skylor nearly walks away without him. He manages to squeak out a sound before she and Kai get too far away.

Skylor turns and regards him with a concerned look. "Hey, are you alright?"

Morro's eyes dart from side to side. He doesn't see anyone looking at him, but that doesn't mean they're not looking when _he's_ not looking. "It's noisy," he says.

Skylor's eyes flit to something behind him. "Watch out –"

Someone bumps into him as they're walking in and he yelps and jumps backwards, falling into someone else. Skylor quickly catches him before he hits the ground, and leads him away from the entrance, shouting, "Sorry!" over her shoulder.

Kai is standing by a corner, empty of people. Morro tries to ignore the amusement on his face and looks straight at the wall.

"Man," Kai says. "Wish we had known this when you were trying to kill us. Morro's secret weakness: the mall."

Skylor shakes her head. "Kai. Don't."

"I'm fine," Morro mutters. "It's just noisy."

"You want to find a place to sit?" Skylor asks.

"No. I'm fine."

"Then let's get a move on," Kai says. "C'mon, I wanna check out the video games."

They check out the video games. The store reminds Morro of the comic store, except what he thinks is a book is actually a rectangular case, wrapped in clear plastic so he can't open it. He picks at the plastic until Skylor tells him to stop. "The clerks are going to think you're stealing it," she says.

"What if I am?"

"Please don't steal, Morro."

He pockets the case when Skylor isn't looking.

Kai plays one of the display games – a "demo," it says – for a few minutes until a line of kids starts to form. "It's all yours," he says, stepping back and letting the girl behind him start playing. "Okay, I'm done here, let's go."

"You didn't get anything," Morro says.

"Ever heard of window shopping?"

"What?"

As they're walking out, a loud beeping sounds from the doors, and Morro jumps and balls his hands into fists. Skylor grabs his arm as the employee at the counter looks over. "You didn't steal anything, did you?" she says.

"No," says Morro, as Skylor reaches into his hoodie pocket and takes out the game he stole.

Kai starts cracking up. Morro glares at him while Skylor puts the game back on the shelf.

"Do you even have a console to play that on?" Kai asks while they walk to the next store.

"A what?"

"Oh my God. You should steal, like, a phone."

"I have a phone already."

"Steal… uh, crap. I don't know."

"Don't tell him to steal things, Kai," Skylor says tiredly.

"I want to see if he can do it!"

Morro frowns. "You think I can't?"

Skylor groans. "Don't make this a competition. Mall security's gonna come after us."

Kai grins. "That sounds like a dare, doesn't it, Morro?"

"Don't you dare –"

Skylor realizes her mistake when Kai claps his hands together. "That's right! It is a dare! Morro, I dare you to steal something from one of these stores!"

"No!" Skylor shouts. Morro is surprised they're not attracting attention; when he glances around, the passersby are all caught up in their own conversations.

"Sure," he says. "I'll do it."

"You're both going to get arrested!"

Kai laughs. "Are you going to tell anyone, Skylor? Are you honestly, honestly to Godly, going to call the cops on us for stealing stuff from the mall?"

Skylor glares at him, then says, "I'm going to the food court. I have nothing to do with this."

"What's a food court?" Morro asks as she's walking away.

"You'll find out later." Kai glances around. "Actually, let's meet up there when we're done. Just follow the signs."

"Okay."

"Whoever steals the most expensive item wins. Just make sure it's not too big, we still have to take the bus home."

"Okay."

"Great! See you later!"

Somehow, the mall doesn't seem as overwhelming now that he has a plan. Morro watches Kai walk away, then heads in the opposite direction, looking for a suitable store.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Morro glances at the clerk and adjusts his grip on the box. "Leaving."

The clerk frowns at him. "Did you pay for that?"

"Yeah."

"Do-o you have the receipt?" she says in a sing-song voice.

Morro walks out.

The record player is a smaller design than he remembers, but his memory is hazy. Wu didn't keep one around. Morro vaguely remembers being taken to the village doctor after passing out during training, remembers scratchy music in the background as he was told to breath deep, but not much else. No one pays him any mind as he follows the signs, carrying the box in front of him.

He doesn't see Kai or Skylor right away. He wanders the food court through the crowded tables until he hears Skylor's voice: "Kai, I am going to _kill_ you!"

"He's already tried!" Kai says gleefully. "Oh my God – you're gonna have to take that on the bus!"

Morro walks over to them and drops the box on the table with a _thud._ "It's not that big," he says. "I can carry it."

"Dude, isn't that like, seventy bucks?" Kai takes out what Morro thinks is a video game case. "This was only thirty! They keep the more expensive ones locked up."

Morro cracks a smile. "So I win, right?"

"Only if mall security doesn't catch us. If they do, no one wins."

"I'm not buying you food," Skylor says. "And I'm sure as hell not letting you steal it, either."

"I'll buy food for all of us," Kai says. "I lost, fair and square. Morro, what kind of burger do you want?"

"What?"

"Just come with me. Skylor, can you hold our table?"

"If I get arrested, we are no longer friends."

"Cool! We'll be back in a few."

Morro stares at the menu for a few minutes until the employee behind the counter says, "Still thinking?" in an annoyed tone. He ends up choosing one at random. The "double-bacon-fireburger" comes with fries and a drink, which Kai orders as "small" because, "I'm not made of money, dude."

"This cup is empty," Morro says, turning it upside down as if that will cause liquid to materialize in it and spill to the floor.

"How do you not know what a fountain machine is? Has Borg taken you _anywhere?_ It's been like, two months!"

Has it really been that long? Sometimes, Morro still thinks he's going to wake up back in the Bounty. He's had dreams about it. "He never took me somewhere like this," he says, looking at what must be the fountain machine – other people are filling their cups at it, anyway. He realizes he's seen something like it in Borg's cafeteria, but he's never used it and just got water from the sink instead.

"That's fair, he probably goes to, like, the rich people mall."

"How many malls are there?"

"In Ninjago City? A bunch. This one's the Center, the rich people mall is called the Place. There's the Collection a district over, but it's close to shutting down, no one goes there anymore."

Morro chooses a drink at random. It's orange and bubbling. He sips at it and deems it acceptable.

"You gonna get a straw?"

"Why?"

He scowls when Kai laughs. "Hey, hey," Kai says. "No big deal, you don't really need a straw, I guess! Let's head back to the table."

Skylor takes her food and half-smiles at Kai. "You're a terrible influence," she says, "but thanks for buying the food."

"As opposed to stealing it?" Kai cracks up again and sits down. "Eat fast, we probably shouldn't stick around much longer."

The burger is spicy, forcing Morro to slow down and take long drinks of his soda between bites. "You can probably refill that if you want," Kai remarks. "I mean, I don't know if you're allowed to, but that doesn't stop anyone."

"He already stole a record player," Skylor says. "Refilling a drink is nothing."

"I'm fine," says Morro, and he stuffs the rest of the burger in his mouth. Even Skylor can't restrain a giggle.

They leave shortly afterwards. Nobody tries to stop them. "Can't wait to play this new game I definitely payed for," Kai says loudly when they're back on the bus. "That is, if Jay isn't hogging the console. Do you have any records for that thing?"

"No," says Morro.

"Oh well! You can get some next time."

Skylor elbows Kai in the ribs.

The three of them end up all going to Borg Tower together. "You snuck out," Skylor says when Morro asks why they want to come with him. "We should make sure Borg knows you weren't alone."

"Or doing anything illegal," Kai says, and laughs for what must have been the twentieth time that day. Morro doesn't think he's exaggerating, either.

Borg is mortified that he didn't realize Morro was gone. "I thought you were in your room! I was busy with work, oh my goodness, I'm so sorry –"

"You're sorry I snuck out," Morro says.

"I just didn't know –"

"The whole point of sneaking out is that nobody notices. Aren't you going to get mad at me?"

Borg looks at Skylor and Kai. "Well, you were with friends, so… it's fine, just – please be safe about it. And don't sneak out, next time."

He's about to fall asleep when he realizes that Borg said _friends._ Plural. Skylor and _Kai._

Morro buries his head under the pillow.

Life was a lot easier when he was dead.


	21. They say we are what we are – but we don't have to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings… again… morro's kind of insensitive but nothing really warranting a warning happens in this chapter
> 
> get ready for More Ninja Bonding!

The night after the mall, Kai lies awake with the vivid memory of Morro holding a blade to Lloyd's neck as he demands the Realm Crystal. It's not always easy to consolidate the idea of Morro, the teenager who gets overwhelmed by crowds, with _Morro,_ the ghost who would have killed Kai on that mountain if Lloyd hadn't fought for control over his own body.

Kai groans and rolls over in bed.

He hears stirring from Lloyd's bed, and a whisper: "Kai, are you awake?"

"Yeah, bro?" Kai sits up and squints in the darkness. He can see Lloyd's silhouette, but nothing else. He glances down at Jay's bunk, directly beneath him, but Jay doesn't make a sound. "What's up?"

"I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He sees Lloyd nod, just barely. Kai gets up and climbs down from the top bunk, sitting next to Lloyd and putting an arm around him. "Was it about…" Kai can't bring himself to say the name. "What was it about?"

Lloyd shudders and looks down at his lap. "Morro."

Of course, Kai thinks. The night after he bought the kid a burger, too. "I'm sorry, Lloyd."

"You don't have to be sorry. It was just a nightmare." Lloyd leans against Kai and sighs. "He didn't even do anything in it, he was just… there, and I was scared."

"I'm still sorry. You should never have had to gone through all that." Kai has a vivid mental image of holding Morro's head underwater, kneeling on the beach by Stiix. He pushes that thought back in his head and hugs Lloyd tight.

"I wish I didn't think about him," Lloyd mumbles. "I thought it would be easier not to, after he left, but now there's Nova, and Zane said Borg was thinking about adopting him, and I shouldn't _care_ about that but it bothers me that Zane talked about him at all, and that's a stupid thing to be bothered by –"

"Lloyd. Bro. It's fine. Morro did horrible things to you. You're allowed to hate him."

Lloyd looks up at him with watery eyes. "But I _don't._ "

Kai doesn't know what to say for a moment. "Okay," he says, "that's allowed, too."

"I should hate him, probably." Lloyd looks back down. "He – did all those things, and he wanted to do worse, but I – I don't know. When he was in my head, it felt like – he was hurting. That everything he did was hurting. And I thought –"

"Lloyd, stop."

"What?"

Kai takes him by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes. "Stop. You don't have to feel bad for him. Whatever happened to him before, it doesn't make what he did okay, or deserved, or anything. He didn't have to do all that, and he still did, and you never have to forgive him for it."

"But –"

"Lloyd, you _brought him back to life._ After everything he did to you, you looked at him and thought he was worth saving. Do you realize how incredible that is? You didn't have to do that for him."

"He didn't want –"

"I saw him yesterday," Kai says, and immediately wonders if he should have told Lloyd that. He shoves down his doubts and continues. "Was gonna hang out with Skylor, and he showed up. Skylor's his friend now – did you know? Can you believe he has a friend?" What is he even saying? Lloyd is staring at him with wide eyes, and Kai doesn't know if this is too much, when Lloyd _just said_ that he didn't want to think about Morro ever again. "Ended up going to the mall, all of us – it's – it's _effed up_ seeing him smiling and doing stupid teen stuff after everything that happened. I bought him a burger. That's messed up!"

"He's happy?" Lloyd says.

"I mean, not all the time – but nobody's happy all the time." Kai sighs. "Listen, Lloyd. We're gonna deal with the Nova thing, and then we're gonna cut ties for good. You don't have to see him again. You don't have to worry about him. You don't have to think about resurrecting him, or whether he's happy, or any of that junk. We can all move on with our lives. Okay?"

Lloyd takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay."

Kai hugs him again. "Man," he says, "I'm kinda glad Jay didn't wake up. He's a good guy, but he's not so great with feelings stuff."

"Jay's not here."

"What?"

Lloyd pulls away and frowns. "He left a while ago. I thought he was just going to the bathroom, and I had just woken up from the nightmare so I wasn't really thinking…"

Kai looks back at Jay's bed. Sure enough, it's empty. "That's… weird."

There's a knock on the door. Kai stands up to open it. "Yeah?"

It's Zane. "Sorry to wake you up," he says, "but I can't find Cole, and I wondered if he was trying to sleep again."

"Well, he's not here. And neither is Jay."

A heavy silence descends on them.

"That's not good," says Zane.

Lloyd gets to his feet. "Let's get Sensei Wu."

* * *

"Hey. Hey! Wake up!"

Morro sits up, blinks, sees a ghost in his room, and screams.

"Dude," Cole says, "calm down. It's just me."

"What – what are – what the _hell_ –"

Cole rolls his eyes while Morro sputters with anger. "I just want to ask you some stuff, it's fine."

Morro manages to take a deep breath and get his emotions under control. "You want to ask me stuff," he says. "At two in the morning."

"Listen," Cole snaps. "Jay and I are fixing my problem, okay? You're the only person we can talk to who's been inside the Temple of Resurrection. We need to know how to get in."

It takes a few moments for Morro to put the pieces together. "You're going to resurrect yourself," he says.

"Yes."

"At two in the morning."

"Yeah! And since, y'know, it was while we were trying to stop _you_ that I ended up a ghost in the first place, the least you could do is help me out here!" Cole glares at him. "We're not even asking you to come with us, just tell me what you know so Jay and I have a better chance of getting inside."

Morro considers this. "I don't think I can help you," he says.

"Oh, come on!"

"No, I mean, I don't remember much." He woke up and could barely move, he was so unused to having physical weight. "I think… the floor was made of deepstone. There were runes and lines carved into it." It had hurt, stumbling and falling on it as he lunged for Lloyd. "The chamber itself was –" Morro frowns. "Wait, weren't you there?"

"Yeah, but I didn't really get to look around. Kinda preoccupied with getting you away from Lloyd, since you were, y'know, going at his throat."

"You saw the state I was in. Do you really expect me to remember more than you do?"

"Well, I didn't know the floor was deepstone, so that's _one_ thing." Cole sighs. "Man, I'm so screwed. You sure you don't remember anything else?"

"I bet seeing it would jog my memory." Morro throws the blankets off him and stands up.

Cole blinks. "Wait. Wait wait wait. You want to come with us."

Morro scowls. "You said it was my fault you're a ghost. I'll help you resurrect yourself."

"Oh-kay, uh, how were you expecting to get out of here, though? The whole building is alarmed. I only got up here by, well, being a ghost."

"The lower level windows are alarmed. The higher ones aren't. I used the eighth floor ones last time I snuck out."

"Uh. Cool." Cole shrugs. "I mean, dunno how Jay's gonna react, but if you want to help, I won't complain. I'm leaving without you if you set off any alarms, though."

"Fine by me."

It's not the whole tower that's alarmed – people live there, after all, and they need to be able to walk around if they need to. Morro is fairly certain that most residents have the clearance to disarm the alarms long enough to leave the building, but given Borg's… _concerns_ about Morro, most of which are justified, it's reasonable to expect his own ID card will not work for that purpose. So Morro leads Cole to the eighth floor window with the broken lock, and they both jump out, using airjitzu to lower themselves to the ground.

Jay is leaning against the side of the building, playing with his phone. He nearly jumps out of his skin when Cole and Morro land next to him. "Whoa! Cole, what's he doing here?!"

"Helping," says Cole. "Are we going to the Temple or not?"

Jay glances at Morro and pulls Cole close to him, whispering something Morro can't pick up. Morro rolls his eyes and averts his gaze.

"He's coming with us," Cole says firmly, and he pushes Jay away. "We were already gonna ask him for help, him coming along is a bonus. Let's just go, okay?"

"Alright, alright!" Jay throws his arms in the air. "Whatever! It's your funeral!"

Cole punches him.

* * *

Unlike Kai, Jay has a car – a vehicle, anyway. Morro isn't certain it's safe for ordinary streets. There's barely enough room in the contraption for two people in the back, and Morro and Cole end up squished uncomfortably close. Morro is beyond grateful when Jay parks in a ravine and lets them out.

"We're gonna walk the rest of the way," Cole informs him, while Jay blows a kiss to his car. "The Temple's not too far from here."

"Right."

"Remember what –" Jay throws a glance at Morro. "– that thing we found out. Tons of anti-ghost defenses. What if they have, like, a sprinkler system?"

"Then I'll use you as an umbrella."

"What!"

"You don't get hurt by water if you're possessing someone," Morro says. "It has to be a person, though," he continues, while Jay and Cole both stare at him. "You can't possess a wall and expect to be fine. It also helps if whoever you're possessing is too exhausted to fight back, so –"

"Wow," says Jay. "Okay, uh, you can use me as an umbrella, Cole, it's fine by me."

Morro frowns. "I've been a ghost longer than you have. I have more experience. Depending on the nature of the defenses, your best bet might be to possess Jay and –"

"Nope!" Jay shouts. "I'm umbrella Jay now!"

"I'm _not_ possessing anyone," Cole says. "Not even as a last resort. I saw what it did to Lloyd."

"Only because he fought back," Morro points out. "If he hadn't –"

Cole glares at him. "Wow, I am really regretting bringing you along right now!"

"I am _trying_ to give you _advice_ –"

"No possession! That's final!"

Morro decides to keep his mouth shut.

"Oh- _kay,_ " says Jay, breaking the heavy silence that follows. "We should get moving."

It's not far to the temple gates. There's a guard there, too; looks to be one of the scholars, humming to himself as he rocks back and forth on his feet. The three of them huddle behind a cluster of trees and peer out.

"I think Morro volunteered to be a distraction," Cole whispers.

" _What?_ " Morro hisses back. "I did _not_ –"

"You did when you said that junk about possession!"

"I don't understand why you're so offended by that –"

"Shut up and go distract!"

"Fine!"

Morro puts some distance between himself and the others before he steps out into the open. The scholar still doesn't see him until he's practically right in front of the gates, leaning against the wall.

"Hey," he says.

The scholar jumps and spins around to face him. "Who are you?!"

"A tourist," Morro says.

"At two in the morning?"

"It's closer to three now, actually."

"Still –"

Morro rolls his eyes. "Okay, you got me. Remember when that kid broke into here and resurrected someone? That was me. The someone being resurrected, I mean."

"Uh," says the scholar. "Cool. Why are you here?"

The walls around the gate are made of colored stone bricks; Morro recognizes black vengestone scattered through it, though the other colors are most likely painted ordinary rock. "I'm… looking for answers," he says. "You see, being pulled out of the Cursed Realm and brought back to life by your worst enemy is… disorienting."

"The _what_ realm?"

"Yeah, that place." He can see Jay and Cole creeping towards the wall, behind the scholar. Jay starts climbing, while Cole attempts to phase through the wall and cracks his forehead against a vengestone brick. Morro winces. "It's not great," he says.

"Wait…" The scholar frowns. "Are you Morro?"

"No," says Morro.

"I'm… pretty sure you are, actually." The scholar looks extremely uncomfortable, and starts to rock back and forth again. "I'm not supposed to let you in."

"You're assuming I wanted to come in at all." Cole is still struggling to fit his incorporeal body between the vengestone bricks; Jay has already reached the top of the wall and is looking down worriedly. "Maybe I just want to ask some questions."

"I'm also supposed to inform the master scholars that you're here, and call Sensei Wu –"

"No!" Morro shouts, feeling panic rear its ugly head. He forces it back down and swallows hard. "I mean – wouldn't it be better to call the person I'm actually staying with?"

"The, uh, master scholars were pretty clear –"

Morro tackles him.

" _Dude!_ " he hears Cole shout, which is pretty stupid of him, considering that Morro is supposed to be the distraction here. Morro still isn't used to his physical, living body, but his training with Skylor has been paying off, and the scholar barely puts up a fight. Morro manages to clamp a hand over his mouth and starts dragging him away while he struggles.

Cole runs over. "What are you _doing?_ "

"He was going to call Wu!" Morro hisses. "We need to get him out of here so he doesn't tell anyone we're here!"

"Why was he going to call Sensei?!"

"I don't know! Because I'm not supposed to be here, I guess!"

Cole's eyes dart to the building where the scholars live, since the Temple itself is uninhabitable. There's no sign anyone else has seen them. "What do we do with him?" he whispers.

"I have an idea. If you –"

"If you're about to suggest I possess this dude –"

"Do you have any better ideas?!" Morro is having a hard time keeping the scholar under control. He keeps his hand over his mouth, muffling his cries, but the scholar's gotten one of his hands free and is kicking and flailing.

Jay jumps down from the wall and runs over. "Guys! We need to get moving! Just lock him in my car and let's go!"

The three of them haul the scholar back to Jay's car and lock him in the trunk; Jay finds a piece of cloth he uses to gag him before closing the hatch. "Man, I really wish we didn't have to do this," he says. "Terrible job distracting, Morro!"

"It's not my fault he recognized me –"

"Enough!" Cole snaps. "With no one guarding the gate, we can waltz right in! Let's go bring me back to life already!"

Morro glances at the hidden vehicle, then at the scholar's house. "Okay," he says. "Let's go."


	22. You challenged the gods and lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's kind of a downer, sorry
> 
> warnings: near-drowning experiences

The Temple of Resurrection is large and falling apart. It's designed in a series of rings, and the outermost circle is collapsed on the left side, plants sprouting in the cracked stone. The rest of the temple doesn't look much better. Morro remembers waking up in that inner chamber, moonlight shining in through the stained glass ceiling, and can't suppress a shudder.

The three of them tread cautiously down the path. Jay's eyes are darting from side to side. Morro is trembling, and it's not from cold. If Cole is nervous, he doesn't show it – he walks straight to the entrance, pushing the door open with a _creak,_ and Jay and Morro follow him inside.

"We're in trouble if they have guards in here," Jay says. "Maybe we should be a little more cautious and… not use the main door?"

"It's too late for that," Morro says.

Cole pulls on the door ahead of them – Morro recognizes it, remembers being carried out through it. The hall behind it leads right to the resurrection chamber, but it doesn't open for them now.

"It's locked," Cole grumbles. "Knew it wouldn't be that easy. It's vengestone, too – our powers won't work on it."

"This whole place is practically ruins," Jay says. "We could probably break it down, even without our powers."

"We're not breaking anything," Cole says. "What if we break something the Temple needs for the resurrection?"

"That's… a good point."

"So how do we get in?" Morro says. "They're not going to come and unlock it for us."

Cole frowns. "Lloyd got in somehow. Sure, they've upped their security – but maybe we can find some other way. Jay's right about one thing: this place is ruined. There's gotta be some hole somewhere."

They go to the left, where an old collapsed ceiling blocks their path, the hall open to the floor above. Cole immediately starts climbing up the rubble, Morro following close behind. "Uh, guys?" Jay says. "Maybe we should try out that being cautious thing. Cole, are you sure you should be going first? We don't know what the anti-ghost defenses are like…"

"I'm the one getting resurrected!" Cole says. "I want to –"

The atmosphere shifts. They've almost reached the top when Morro hears a faint trickling sound that gets stronger and stronger – and the way Cole freezes, he must have heard it too. It's Morro who sees the holes drilled into the wall, and with only moments to act, he grabs Cole, yanks him to the side, and pulls himself up to block the jets of water with his body.

The jets are stronger than he expected; it's definitely more than a simple sprinkler system. They hurt when they hit Morro's back, and he grits his teeth and holds himself against the wall. More water spouts out from the walls – Morro is blocking the ones closest to Cole, but below them, Jay gets hit directly in the face.

Cole is frozen in fear. Morro can see a stream of water trickling down the stone towards him. "Move!" he shouts, and Cole snaps out of the state he's in to clamber up to the second floor. Jay and Morro follow, Morro only moving once he's certain Cole is out of range.

They take a moment on the second floor to breathe, while the water slowly peters out beneath them. "So!" Jay says loudly, wringing out his ninja uniform. "How about being cautious, again?"

The floor is filled with empty wooden bookshelves; Morro sees a bench and sits down, soaking wet and shivering. "This looks like it was a library," he says. "Probably won't be any more water here."

"Thank you," Cole says.

"For what?"

"What do you _mean,_ 'for what?' You just saved my life!"

"You're a ghost," Morro says through chattering teeth. "You don't have a life."

"Now you're just trying to be difficult." Cole scowls. "I might not be alive, but I'd sure as hell be in a much worse place if you hadn't done that. So accept my thanks and let's move on."

"Or we could just move on," Jay says, "because those weird temple people are probably going to notice that the defenses went off!"

"Right," Morro says, and he stands up, hugging himself. Jay is shivering too, he notices. They had both been soaked with what felt like freezing cold water. "How can we get in from here?"

They walk around the curve until they find a door leading to the second ring. This time, Cole steps back and lets Jay go first, pushing open the door and peering out at the stone bridge.

"Oh," Jay says, looking down. "There's a moat. Cole, don't fall."

"Yeah, I'm not planning to."

Morro looks over Jay's shoulder. The water is still and dark, and Morro can't tell how deep it is. "None of us should fall," he says. "We don't know what's in there."

"Alligators?" Jay suggests.

"Or we just drown."

"Are you guys gonna go or not?" Cole says impatiently.

"Okay, okay!"

Jay steps onto the walkway and it immediately retracts into the wall. Morro and Cole grab him and pull him back just before he falls.

"So that won't work," Cole says.

Morro snorts. "Come on," he says. "All of us know airjitzu, don't we? We can just fly across."

"You go first," Jay says immediately. "With my luck, there'll be like – I don't know, magic arrows or something!"

"Luck doesn't mean anything," Morro says, rolling his eyes. "There's either magic arrows or there isn't. But fine, I'll go first."

With a grinding noise, the walkway is extending back out again. Morro stands at the very edge of the opening and takes a deep breath before jumping up, the air catching him as he focuses his energy on the airjitzu technique. The gap isn't very large – too large to jump, sure, but he makes it across in a matter of seconds.

He grabs at the door handle on the other side, dismissing the airjitzu, and finds out too late that it's locked.

He hears Jay and Cole gasp as he desperately clings to the handle, his body hanging above the water. "Dude!" Cole yelps. "What's going on?!"

"It's locked!" Morro shouts back. "Obviously!"

"From the inside?!"

What do you _think_ –" Morro attempts another deep breath, but it comes out as panicked gasping. "I can't pull myself up!"

"Use airjitzu!" Jay shouts.

"He's freaking out, he can't use airjitzu like this!"

Morro wants to yell at them, but all he can think about is the water underneath him – he flails his legs, searching for a grip, but there's nothing, and his fingers are damp and slipping –

"Wait!" Cole yells. "Is that door made of wood? It doesn't look like deepstone or vengestone!"

"I don't know!" Morro tries to adjust his grip on the handle, but the slightest movement feels like it'll send him falling down.

"Well, we're about to find out!"

Morro hears Jay cry out, feels the breeze on his shoulders from Cole's airjitzu – there's a chill as Cole phases through his arms and the door both. Morro hangs there for another agonizing moment before the lock clicks and the door opens.

"Got you!" Cole grabs Morro's arms and pulls him into the building. "You alright?"

Morro lets himself collapse on the floor, still hyperventilating. The air is filled with the damp smell of rotting wood.

"Cool," says Cole. "You do that. Jay, come on through!"

Once Jay makes it safely across, Morro's managed to recover enough to sit up and examine their surroundings. The first thing he notices is the deep, rectangular pockets cut out of the walls, large enough to fit –

"I don't like this place," Jay says. "Did they like, store bodies here or something?"

"This must be where the scholars slept," Morro says, spotting a wooden dresser in the darkness; clearly that's where the smell is coming from. "Back when they lived in the Temple itself."

"Okay, that's way less creepy than what I was thinking."

"We're almost there, guys," Cole says, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "I can't believe it. We're almost there!"

"Don't get excited," Morro says. "We still have to get into the resurrection chamber, and we don't know if we'll be able to bring you back."

"Don't be such a killjoy, Morro." Cole bounces up and down. "Come on! Let's go!"

They do an entire loop around the second ring. No more traps go off, but there are no walkways to the resurrection chamber , and after what happened in the first ring, none of them are keen on trying the first floor.

They break a window instead.

"There's another moat," Jay informs them. "And I don't see any doors inside. Or windows."

"Fuck," says Cole.

"Language!"

"Oh, shut up, Jay, I'm allowed to say the eff-word in this situation –"

Morro squints down at the water. It's hard to tell, but he thinks he can see a slow current, and he follows it with his eyes to –

"I have an idea," he says. "Neither of you are going to like it. I already don't like it."

"Hit me," says Cole.

Morro points at a grate in the wall across from them, sticking half out of the water, large enough to fit a person through.

"That's a terrible idea!" Jay yelps. "In case you forgot, Cole can't touch water!"

"Unless he's possessing someone," Morro says. "See? I said you weren't going to like it."

"No way! Cole said it himself – no possession, not even as a last resort! Right, Cole?"

Cole scrunches up his face and doesn't answer.

"Oh, come _on_ –"

"Listen," Cole snaps. "I know what I said – but we don't have a lot of options! I'm not gonna bust in, those walls look like they're deepstone so I can't go through them, and they're not gonna expect a ghost to get in by swimming!"

"We're also going to need to break the grate," Morro says, "and unless you have muscles you're hiding, I don't think either of us can do it, and Cole's strength –"

"Excuse me, my _super_ strength –"

"– Cole's strength comes from his elemental power, so he'll still be able to use it while possessing someone."

"This is literally the worst idea I've ever heard," says Jay. "There's gotta be some other way! I don't want to be possessed!"

Morro sighs. "Fine. Cole can possess me."

Cole's mouth falls open and he makes a squeaking noise. Morro glares at him.

"What?" he says. "Even if Jay said he would, if he freaks out too much, he'll accidentally kick you out of his body while you're in the water. I'll at least know what to expect."

"You're serious," Cole says. "You're really serious about this. Are you?"

"You know how to swim, right? If this is going to work, I have to give you total control over my body. Don't do anything stupid."

"We just broke into the Temple of Resurrection, locked some guy in Jay's trunk, and now I'm going to possess you in order to swim inside the resurrection chamber." Cole cracks a smile. "I think it's way too late to not do something stupid."

"Whatever. Are you going to do it?"

"Uh, right."

Cole walks over, hesitates, and puts a cold hand on Morro's forehead. Morro shivers, then looks up at him with a scowl. "Well?"

"Can you, like, not stare at me? I'm kinda freaking out here."

"Fine." Morro closes his eyes. He can still feel Cole's hand on his forehead. Nothing happens for a few seconds, and Morro is about to ask what's taking so long when a chill grips his entire body and his eyes snap open on their own.

Don't fight. Don't fight. Morro repeats the words over and over to himself, while his body stands up and looks down at his hands, opening and closing his fists.

"This is so weird," Cole says with Morro's voice.

"No kidding!" says Jay. "Now what? We just jump in the water and hope for the best?"

 _You should put more thought into it than that,_ Morro grumbles in his own head.

"Uh, yeah," Cole says. "I mean – that wasn't at you, Jay. Morro just said we should, y'know, have a plan or something."

A loud _thunk_ sounds from behind them, in the first ring of the Temple. Cole and Jay both freeze.

"Well, _something_ tripped the defenses –"

"I heard shouting, too, and the guard's gone missing –"

"Uh oh," Jay whispers.

Cole sucks in a deep breath, then slowly forces Morro's body to the window. Morro forces himself to relax – if he panics and grabs for control while they're in the water, there's a chance Cole will be pushed out of the body, and everything they've done will be for nothing.

"Okay," Cole says. "Three, two, one…"

He jumps.

They splash down into the water.

It takes all of Morro's self control to do nothing.

He can feel Cole still in his head, still controlling his body, so the possession worked. What's worrying him is that Cole is making no attempt to swim to the surface, the water is cold, and Morro can feel his heart pounding. _Did you forget how to swim?_ he says, trying not to give away how afraid he is.

Finally, Cole moves, and breaks the surface with a gasp. "It's good!" he calls up to Jay, who is looking down worriedly. "We're fine! It worked!"

"Thank God!" Jay blurts out. "Okay, I'm coming down!"

Cole swims to the grate and starts pulling at it while Jay jumps down. He's coughing and gasping when he surfaces. "It's freezing!" he sputters, swimming to the grate. "We need to do this fast, or else we'll freeze to death! And drown! At the same time!"

"We're gonna be fine," Cole growls. His teeth are chattering again. "Come on, where are you, super strength –"

 _It works exactly the same as it did in your old body,_ Morro tells him. He can feel the cold, too, can feel his fingers going numb as Cole grasps the bars of the grate. _Don't mess this up._

"I've got it, I've got it! Come on, I can do this –"

The grate pops out of the wall, and the weight drags Morro's body underwater before Cole can pry his fingers off.

Morro panics.

For one terrifying moment, he and Cole are both fighting for control over the body. Luckily, Morro realizes what he's doing in time to back off, letting Cole regain control and remain in Morro's body.

Unluckily, in that moment of panic, Morro's body inhales a lungful of water.

When Jay pulls them up to the surface, Morro is dizzy from lack of oxygen and there are spots in his vision. Cole is still there, thank God – Morro can feel his panic and relief at once as they retch up water and cling to Jay. If anything happened to Cole, Jay would definitely leave him to drown.

"Oh no, oh no – Cole?! Morro?! Bro – both of you – you're still there, right?!"

Cole takes a deep breath and gives Jay a thumbs up. "'M here," he croaks, shivering uncontrollably. "S'all good. Let's go."

* * *

Morro can't feel his fingers as Cole struggles with the second grate, this one above them. Both he and Jay are shivering, their teeth chattering, and the chest-deep water isn't helping. Finally, Cole shoves the grate up and to the side, leaving enough room for them to climb out.

There's a circle of scholars surrounding them.

"No," Cole chokes out as they approach him and Jay, grabbing them and forcing them to their feet. "No! We were so close! I just – I just wanted –"

Morro vaguely hears the scholars talking over each other while they lead Jay and Cole, still in Morro's body, out of the resurrection chamber, something about getting them warm, calling Sensei Wu –

– it's all background noise compared to the sound of Cole's sobs.


	23. I know I've done this all before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: oh god how do I warn for this. wu is a piece of garbage in this chapter. I don't know what else to say.

When they get there, Morro and Jay are sitting in the scholar's house, wrapped in blankets and sitting at a table, holding mugs of something warm. Morro is quietly crying, his body trembling with sobs. The first thing out of Kai's mouth is, "Where's Cole?!"

"Uh," says Jay, his eyes flicking to Lloyd and back to Kai. "He's fine, don't worry!"

"Where _is_ he!"

Jay throws a glance at Morro, who shakes his head. "We'll tell you in a little bit," he says. "It's just, uh…"

"Not in front of Lloyd," Morro mumbles.

Lloyd stiffens. Kai glances at him, then back to Morro. "And just why is that?" Kai says. "Cole's his friend, too! He's all of our friend!"

"Kai, Kai, please –" Jay sneezes. "Trust me, if not him. We can't tell you in front of Lloyd."

Kai glares at him, then marches over, past the scholars talking to Sensei Wu. "Stay there, Lloyd," he says, when Lloyd tries to follow him. Lloyd glances at Zane and Nya, who shrug, and reluctantly takes a few steps back.

Jay winces and leans away as Kai crouches down next to him. "Uh, Kai? What are you –"

"Tell me," Kai says, keeping his voice low. "Lloyd's not close enough to hear, as long as you keep quiet. Now _tell me._ "

Morro squeezes his eyes shut and hunches over in his seat. Jay swallows hard and whispers, "Cole's right there. He possessed Morro."

Kai can't restrain himself. "Cole did _what?!_ "

Nya takes a step forward. "What did he do?"

Jay winces. "He's fine! Kai, tell them he's fine! Just – _please_ don't tell Lloyd –"

"Don't tell me _what?_ " Lloyd demands, his hands balled into fists. "What are you trying to hide from me?!"

Kai takes a deep breath and leans close to Jay. "And he hasn't come out _why?_ "

"These creepy scholars _really_ don't like ghosts," Jay whispers. "Like, really. Doesn't matter that Cole's a ninja – if they saw him, they'd drag out the garden hose for sure. He's staying where he is until we get out of here."

"…fine. I get that." Kai stands up and looks at – Cole, not Morro, even though he's in Morro's body. Cole keeps his head down.

"He's fine," he says, returning to Nya, Lloyd, and Zane. "He's just laying low right now. He'll come back once we're out of here."

"I'm not stupid, Kai," Lloyd snaps. "If you don't tell me –"

"I promise you, Lloyd, Cole will tell you what happened himself – but later, okay? We need to get out of here first."

Lloyd's glares at him, an expression Kai hasn't seen from him in a long time. "Fine," he says. "Then let's go."

Sensei Wu eventually reaches a conclusion with the scholars and informs the ninja that it's time to leave. Jay and Morro – _Cole,_ Kai has to keep reminding himself – are still shivering, and still in their wet clothes. Wu says they can change back at the Bounty.

"No!" Morro blurts out. Kai has a feeling it really is Morro, not Cole. "I'm not – I won't go back. You –" He contorts his face in a pained expression and puts a hand to his forehead. "You can't make me," he spits out. " _None_ of you can make me go back."

"Morro," Wu says, and continues talking even as Morro snarls at him. "The Bounty is closer than Ninjago City. We should still have clothes that fit you –"

Morro grits his teeth and doubles over, clutching his head. "I'm not going back," he growls. "I'm not going back there. I'm not going back to him, you can't make me –"

The scholars are giving them odd looks. Kai quickly steps in. "Hey," he says, "we gotta get out of here, first. Then we can talk about where you're going."

He glances at Jay, who quickly nods and stands up. "Can we keep the blankets?" he asks ones of the scholars, who solemnly shakes their head.

They recover Jay's vehicle; the man locked in the trunk has since been freed. Morro, Cole – Kai can't tell who's in control, whichever one he is, he's taking slow steps, arms wrapped tight around himself. He's keeping his distance from the others.

"So where's Cole?" Lloyd says loudly. "We're out of the Temple! He can come out now!"

"Yeah," says Jay, "it might be a while."

Morro-Cole winces and grabs his head. "It's been too long," he mutters, just loud enough for everyone to look at him. "I can't – you can't – not here! I can't –"

"Dude," Kai says. "You alright?"

The expression on Morro's face twists into panic. "I –" he starts, and squeezes his eyes shut, moments before Cole's ghost falls backwards out of Morro's body.

Nya gasps. Jay winces. Kai immediately looks to Lloyd, who's staring in wide-eyed horror. Morro topples forward, catches himself on his hands and one knee, then collapses on the ground. Zane stops Wu from approaching, and cautiously goes to Morro's side himself. "He's unconscious," he tells the rest of them.

"Okay," Cole says, picking himself off the ground. "I can explain."

"Good!" Nya says. "Because you've got a lot of explaining to do!"

"In his defense," says Jay, "it was my idea to do this! Not the possession thing, though, that was –"

"Not now," Wu says, silencing them. "We can talk about this on the Bounty."

Cole and Jay share a nervous look. "Okay," Cole says. "I… I'm sorry, guys, I just…"

Zane picks up Morro and hoists him on his back. "We should stop at Borg Tower first," he says.

"That won't be necessary," Wu says. "I'd like to speak to Morro, too, once he wakes up."

"That's not –" Cole winces. "That's really not a good idea, Sensei. I – I saw some of Morro's – what he thinks, I guess? And –"

Wu points his staff at Cole. "Save it," he says. "I am _very_ disappointed in the three of you. Now let's go."

* * *

Morro wakes up with a splitting headache. He grimaces, not willing to open his eyes at first. His room smells different, he thinks. Like old wood and dust. Maybe they brought him somewhere else before calling Borg –

He remembers where he was and who he was with when he passed out, and Morro snaps his eyes open and forces himself to sit up.

The room is barren; he's not even in a bed, just a mattress on the floor. He throws the blanket off him and struggles to his feet. The space is barely big enough to be a room; Morro wouldn't be surprised if it was a repurposed closet.

He's not wearing the clothes Borg bought for him, he realizes. The shirt is red and loose and the pants feel like they're about to slip off him. He swallows hard and moves to the door, his body feeling slow and heavy.

The door is locked. Morro struggles with the doorknob, _knowing_ where he must be but unable to accept it. His breathing is fast and hard, and when the door refuses to open, and banging on it doesn't produce immediate results, Morro starts to scream.

"Let me out!" he yells. "Let me _out!_ " He bangs on the door again, hard enough that his fists ache between blows. "You can't keep me here! You can't – you can't –"

"Hey," comes a voice on the other side – Kai, Morro recognizes, and he steps back from the door, pressing himself against the wall. "Calm down, okay?"

"No!" Morro shouts. "Let me out!"

"I will, alright? Just promise me you won't, like, freak out on me."

Morro grits his teeth. "Fine!"

As soon as the door opens, Morro lunges at Kai, who deflects his punch and grabs his arm, flipping him over his shoulder. "This is exactly what I told you not to do," he says while Morro lands hard on the floor. "Listen, I told Sensei he shouldn't bring you back here, but – hey!"

Morro scrambles to his feet and starts running. Kai grabs him before he gets more than a few feet away. "You're just making this worse!" Kai snaps while Morro struggles in his grip. "Just calm down and we'll get you back to Borg Tower as soon as we can. It's not like I want you here, either!"

"Let me go!"

"Not if you're going to act like this!"

Despite the exhaustion weighing on him, Morro keeps struggling while Kai drags him down the hall. "Stop fighting," Kai says tiredly. "I promise you're not staying long."

"Liar!"

"I'm on your side, stupid! Just calm down!"

His head feels like it's being split open. Morro screams wordlessly as Kai brings him into the main room, where the other ninja are sitting around a table – Lloyd is nowhere to be seen. Zane and Nya both stand up, but Wu motions for them to sit back down. Jay looks worriedly at Cole, who is holding his head in his hands and not looking at them.

"Morro," Wu says sternly. "Please, calm yourself."

"No!" Morro shouts, and he tries to bite Kai's hand.

"Dude!" Kai yelps. "Just sit down so we can get this over with!"

"Let me go!"

He sees Wu stand up and cross the room in a few large steps. Morro leans away from him, back into Kai's grip. "Go away!" he yells. "Don't touch me!"

"Sensei –" Zane starts, but Wu grabs Morro's arm before he can continue.

"Kai," Wu says as Morro tries to yank his arm free, "Let go of him."

"Alright, Sensei."

As soon as Kai releases him, Morro tries to punch Wu with his free hand – his fist is caught effortlessly. "Morro," Wu says, "listen to me. Sit down and be still."

"No!" There are tears running down his cheeks. When did that happen? Morro snarls and blinks rapidly, glaring at Wu. "I hate you! Let me go!"

"I said –"

Wu twists Morro around and wrenches both arms behind his back.

"– sit down –"

He pulls out a chair and sits Morro down in it hard. Morro can't suppress a cry of pain.

"– and be _still!_ "

Silence falls upon them. Morro gasps and sobs, his cheeks flush with shame, crying in front of the ninja – Cole still isn't looking up. Jay and Nya look horrified, their eyes darting from Wu to Morro and at each other.

Zane stands up again. "Sensei," he says quietly. "I don't believe that was necessary."

"You saw how he was acting." Wu still has a tight grip around both of Morro's wrists, holding them around the back of the chair. Morro's arms are aching. "Now, Morro, will you behave? Or do we have to restrain you further?"

He hears the hiss of Kai sucking in air between his teeth. Morro hurts all over and his strength is leaving him. "Fine," he spits, and Wu releases his hands. Morro wants to rage, wants to flip the table over and scream until his throat is hoarse, but all he does is slump facedown on the table and squeeze his eyes shut, trying to will his tears away.

"Good," says Wu, and Morro hears him walk around the table and pull out a chair. "Kai, sit."

Morro lifts his head up just enough to see Kai take a seat next to him. He puts his head back down.

"Now," Wu says. "I've already spoken to Cole and Jay about their actions. I would like to speak to you as well. Morro, look at me."

This is worse than the Cursed Realm, Morro thinks to himself. He doesn't look up.

"Very well," Wu says. "Why did you go with Cole and Jay?"

Even at its worst, even after the Preeminent was drowned – Morro would rather be in agony at the bottom of that trench than here with Wu.

"Answer me, Morro."

"He wanted to help!"

Morro looks up at Cole's voice. Cole locks eyes with him briefly before turning to Wu. "I told him it was his fault I was a ghost in the first place," he says, his voice shaking. "And he said he would help, and he –"

"I was not talking to you, Cole."

Morro puts his head back down.

"You don't understand, Wu!" Cole shouts. "I was in his head! When we were – when you got to the Temple, I could feel – I could feel how he feels about you. He can't –"

"Cole, please be quiet."

"Do you have any idea how much you hurt him?!"

"Cole, _enough._ "

Morro is shaking with barely-restrained sobs, tears falling freely down on the table. He wants to be – anywhere but here, anything but this, but all he can think of is the office in the tower. He wants to meet Borg for breakfast in the cafeteria, he wants to go down to the office and learn about the computer, or attempt spells and potions, or just sit and fold paper airplanes as the two of them try to make headway on the mess. Anything but this. Anywhere but here.

"Excuse me," Zane says. "I… need to step outside for a moment."

And Morro realizes – he's been so _stupid._ He doesn't need to be here at all.

His ghost pushes back out of his body – there's almost no change in his posture, his body is still slumped forward on the table. Cole glances up at him, but quickly looks away. Morro nods at him and follows Zane up to the deck. He can hear Wu talking as he leaves – he increases his pace.

The sky is still dark. He must have not been out for long. Morro watches as Zane walks to the edge of the deck and stops. He turns away, about to head somewhere else, when Zane starts to speak in someone else's voice.

"It's Pixal. I'm sorry to bother you, Father, but I'm afraid we have a situation…"


	24. Reliving this is something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's up here's chapter
> 
> I don't think there's any warnings? nothing big enough to really warrant any. I think we're good here

Wu doesn't answer when Cyrus first calls. When the phone's recorded message asks him to leave a voicemail, he hangs up and redials. Then he redials again, when the second call also goes unanswered. Cyrus' hand is shaking as he holds the phone to his head and speaks out loud to the computer screen above him, where he can see Pixal and Zane's avatars. "Is he alright? Wu isn't picking up!"

"He'll be better when he's out of here," Pixal says.

Zane nods. "Wu thinks he can still repair their relationship. He is wrong."

Again, the call goes to voicemail. "Can I call the Bounty directly? He must have misplaced his phone…"

"I believe he has his phone with him," Zane says, frowning. "I suspect he is ignoring your calls."

Cyrus considers this for a moment, and takes a deep breath. "Can you connect me through to the Bounty?" he says. "Now, please?"

Pixal and Zane nod in unison.

* * *

Morro quietly returns to his body just ahead of Zane returning below deck. His headache is still just as intense, maybe even more so. He grimaces and tries to make out what Wu and the ninja are saying over the buzzing in his head – did Wu even notice he was unconscious?

"We're getting a call from Cyrus Borg," Nya says. Morro sits up and sees her stand and go to the Bounty's main screen. "I'm going to put him through."

"Nya, wait –"

She ignores Wu and presses a button. Borg's face appears on the screen with a clearly-faked smile.

"Good morning, Wu!" he says cheerfully, his voice strained. "Sorry to contact you this way, but, ah, I tried your phone, and you seem to have misplaced it. Something like that, am I right? Morro –"

His expression falters. Borg twists his face briefly and takes a slow, deep breath. "Are you alright?" he says softly.

"He –"

"I wasn't talking to you, Wu."

Morro swallows hard and wipes his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm fine," he says.

The ninja all start talking at once.

"He's really not," Nya says.

"He tried to bite me!" Kai says loudly.

"He's gotta go back to you," Jay says. "He's completely miserable here!"

"He shouldn't be here at all," Cole mutters. "We should never have tried to keep him here."

"I believe it was you, Sensei, who said it best," Zane says. "He can't heal while he's here, and neither can anyone else."

Borg narrows his eyes and drops his fake smile. "Sorry, but just to make it absolutely clear – Morro, are you being held against your will?"

Morro nods, too choked up to speak.

"You don't know what happened," Wu says. "What Morro did –"

"Oh, he's definitely in trouble for sneaking out again and whatever else he did. I'll talk to him when he's back home."

Wu raises an eyebrow. "Home? You're awfully attached to a child who was only supposed to stay with you temporarily."

Morro's chest seizes. He can't breathe for a moment, his mouth open and gaping at Wu. He should have expected this, he thinks through his horror. Nothing good for him could ever last, could it?

He looks up at the screen – Borg's eyes are narrowed almost to slits, and his left hand is shaking. There's an unfamiliar expression on his face of barely restrained anger.

"Oh," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "I've found that I get easily _attached_ to the people that others deem fit to throw away. You're not the first person to notice."

"I didn't expect this when I first asked you to take him in."

"Well," says Borg, "funny how things work out sometimes, isn't it? I certainly didn't think this would be in my future."

Wu frowns behind his beard. "I'm starting to think this might be too much trouble for you."

Borg makes an odd noise before regaining his composure. " _I've_ been capable of taking care of him for this long, and, as you said, I am attached to him. Perhaps Morro has a future here."

"And what if he doesn't have a future – not with you, not with anyone?"

Borg leans forward in his wheelchair. "When I was eight years old, I found an article online about parents who murdered their disabled children and asked my parents why they didn't do that to me."

Wu doesn't have any immediate response to that.

"Now, my parents worked very hard to make sure I had a future – I certainly made the most of their efforts! But when I was three years old in that wreck, nobody knew I would grow up to be the CEO of Borg Industries. And do you know what?" Borg takes a deep breath. "Even if my future had been different, if my company had gone bankrupt in its first year, or if I had never graduated college, or if I had offed myself at sixteen – I still would have been worth saving, even if my future had been fated for failure."

"This isn't about you, Borg –"

"My _point,_ " Borg says sharply, "is that regardless of what future he does or doesn't have, Morro deserves to be saved just as I was, and he deserves to make his own choice about where he stays."

Morro doesn't think he deserves much of anything, not after what he's done.

"Morro doesn't know what's best for him," Wu says.

"You clearly don't know either," Borg snaps.

"You're not his father –"

"He's a better father than you ever were," Morro says.

Heat rises in his cheeks when he realizes what he's said, and Morro can't look at the screen, can't look at Borg's reaction – he stares down at the table, at the damp spots where his tears fell.

"I want to go home," he says, so quietly he's not sure Borg will hear him.

He does. "I'm coming to get you," he says. "Wu, if you have any objections, I'm not interested in them." Borg pauses. "I'm going to hang up now. I will be there as soon as I can. Zane, all you ninja, I'm sorry you had to listen to this."

Kai throws a peace sign. "Don't worry about it, man. Just get over here quick."

"Of course! I'll leave right away. I'll be there shortly, Morro."

He hesitates for a long moment before ending the call.

Morro inhales, exhales, slowly. He's going to be okay. He's going to get out of here. He's going to have a future – and somehow, the idea doesn't seem nearly as frightening as it used to be.

* * *

Wu almost doesn't let him wait outside, but Zane points out that Morro is much calmer now, and is unlikely to try and run when he knows Borg is on his way. They put his wet clothes in a plastic bag to take back; Morro clutches it to his chest as he sits outside with Zane.

"Thank you," he mumbles.

Zane turns to him and blinks. "For what?"

"Calling Borg." Morro looks away. "You didn't have to do that for me."

"It wasn't for you. Not entirely, anyway." Zane's glowing blue eyes are piercing into the back of his head. "Don't take it the wrong way, I do believe you are better off staying with Borg, and it was wrong for Sensei Wu to try and keep you here. But you must understand that you caused us a lot of pain."

"I know. I was trying to – to help Cole, to fix some of it –"

"Some things can't be fixed, Morro. Wu has certainly learned that today."

Morro scowls, keeping his head turned so Zane can't see.

"I appreciate your efforts, but it may be for the best that you keep interactions with us to a minimum."

"Okay."

Morro hears the car driving slowly down the dirt road to the Bounty. He stands up as soon as he sees it through the trees, Zane standing up with him.

He yanks on the door handle before the car comes to a complete stop and climbs in as fast as he can. It's only when the door slams shut and the car starts moving and Borg pulls him into a hug that Morro lets himself relax.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Morro says.

"You really are in trouble, you know."

"I know."

Borg releases him and smiles. "We have work to do when we get home," he says. "We need to get your documents sorted out, and you need to make some decisions." His smile falters. "Do you really want to stay with me?"

Morro thinks about it for a moment. "Yes," he says. "I do."

* * *

"You don't really need to have anything but a first name," Borg says, when they're both sitting in the office with papers covering the table in front of them. "Don't feel pressured to choose anything you're not confident about."

"Do people actually have only first names?"

"Some people do, I think?" Borg shrugs. "Either way, your name can be anything you want. You could even change it later, if you're not happy with what you end up choosing, but it can be a hassle…"

Morro frowns. "I know what I want for my last name," he says. "But I don't know about my middle name."

"You have a last name decided?" Borg sits up a little straighter. "Would it be alright if I asked what it was?"

"What do you think?"

Borg chuckles nervously. "I don't want to assume…"

"Obviously it's Borg," Morro says – but saying it out loud is very different than deciding it mentally. This is real, he thinks, his hands shaking. This is the start of a new life, and it's terrifying, and it's overwhelming – and it's away from Wu, Morro reminds himself. That alone makes it worth it.

Borg puts a hand to his face, half-covering a grin. "That's, ah – I'm honored, Morro, I –"

He chokes back what sounds suspiciously like a sob and rubs his eyes. Morro frowns.

"If you're going to act like this I'm choosing something else," he says.

"I'm sorry, I just –" Oh God, he really is crying, the dopey grin still on his face. Morro scowls and looks away while Borg continues. "It's – I just get emotional sometimes, and I –"

"Please stop."

Borg takes a deep breath. "Right. Okay. So! Your middle name. You don't technically need one – do you have any ideas?"

Morro looks back to the table and picks up a pen. "I have some," he says, slowly writing out the names on a blank piece of paper. "Morro Retro Borg, maybe…"

He looks when Borg lets out a snort of laughter. Morro glares at him while he tries to compose himself. "Sorry!" Borg says. "I just – that's a lovely name, really –"

Morro crosses it out despite Borg's protests. "It's not like I don't have other ideas," he grumbles. "One other idea, anyway."

"Alright. Let's hear it!"

He hesitates before writing the name, and looks down at it for a few moments before saying it out loud. "Sky," he says. "So… Morro Sky Borg. But…"

He trails off, tapping the pen on the table. Borg is smiling again. "That sounds wonderful!" he says. "Sky – because of the wind, right?"

"That's part of it," Morro says. "But it's also… I don't know, do you think Skylor will think it's weird if I name myself after her?"

"Oh! Well, it's hard to say for certain – I imagine she'd be honored as I am that you'd even consider it." Borg hums to himself. "Maybe you could ask her? You don't have to make a decision right away, you have time."

"I'll ask her today."

"Sounds good! We can hold off on the name for now." Borg picks up another printout. "I'd like you to read this – it's the email the lawyer sent me after I told him your situation. He's suggesting that filing for custody might be the best course of action, as opposed to going through the adoption process, but it's a complicated case. Then again, the only other person who _might_ have any claim to custody is Wu, and you've been living with me for longer, at this point."

Morro doesn't understand most of what the lawyer is saying, and he reads it over and over to try and understand. The general gist, he thinks, is that because of the unusual circumstances and Borg's social status, the courts may grant custody to him without contesting the decision. Although…

"He says I might be placed in government care," he says, lowering the paper to look at Borg. "Why?"

"That's only if I'm found to be an unfit guardian," Borg says quickly. "It's highly unlikely – and, worse case scenario, according to the birthdate you chose, you have less than a year before reaching adulthood and being able to make your own decisions about where you live. Don't worry about it."

"Okay."

"And you're absolutely certain –"

Morro rolls his eyes. "I told you, there's no one else I'd want to –" His voice shakes and he trips over the words. "– to have custody of me, and – no one else wants me, anyway."

Borg wrings his hands together. "You shouldn't have to stay with me just because I'm your only option…"

"I want to stay with you!" Morro snaps. "You should know that! And if Wu or anyone else tries to take me away again I'll – I'll just come back! So you're stuck with me!"

Borg blinks, then smiles at him. "That's – that's absolutely fine by me," he says. "Then all we have to do is make it official."

Morro manages a smile back, but doubt is creeping up inside him. Nya had told the news the ninja were giving him a clean slate, but he knows there are people who don't agree. And after what he did to Kai, to Cole, to the rest of the ninja, even to Ronin, the museum guard – to _Lloyd_ –

He's going to have to answer to it eventually, no matter how hard Borg tries to save him.


	25. You've got pain, caused plenty of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh no warnings here! there's a mention of the hospital stay in chapter 4, but that's really it, I think.

Nya walks into the noodle house and sits at the counter with a sigh. Skylor figures something's wrong when she sees her expression, tired and sad. Skylor fetches a cup of tea and slides it over to her before sitting down across from her.

"Hey," she says. "Did something happen? What's wrong?"

Nya takes the mug and sips at it. "Morro can tell you about it."

"That's the most worrying thing you could've possibly said."

"I really don't want to talk about it."

Skylor wants to press further, but Nya would say something if it was serious. "Alright," she says. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Maybe nothing," Nya says, and she takes another sip of tea.

Skylor isn't sure what she should say. Nya's tone seems – is Nya angry at her? Why would Nya come to her restaurant if she was angry at her? Did Skylor do something wrong?

While Skylor is ruminating, Nya sighs again. "Sorry," she says. "I just… I wanted to see you, and listen to you talk about what makes you happy. But, you're working, and I wasn't thinking, and…"

Skylor covers Nya's hand with her own.

"I have a lunch break in about twenty minutes," she says. "Maybe a little later, depending on how late the last person who went comes back. Do you want to wait in the break room?"

Nya blinks. "Okay," she says. "That… that sounds really nice."

* * *

Lunch breaks are a half hour. Skylor manages to fill the entire time with her chatter – she doesn't think Nya finds the topic of restaurant budgets interesting, but Nya sits quietly and listens, sipping her tea and staring at her. Skylor almost forgets to check her watch, and she's startled when she realizes she's gone over her time.

"Shoot!" she says. "Sorry, Nya, I need to go back to work. It's fine with me if you stay here, just go easy on the sugar packets."

Nya gives her an odd look. Skylor blinks. "I mean – never mind. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need." She stands up. "I'll be –"

"Skylor, wait."

Skylor stops as Nya stands up too. She hesitates, looking into the tea Skylor gave her, and then says, "Do you want to… go out sometime? Like, together?"

"Go… out?"

Nya flushes. "Well, I mean, it's still too early to tell if this will go anywhere, or if it's just, y'know, infatuation, but…"

"Oh," Skylor says, and then she realizes exactly what Nya is saying. "Oh!"

"Yeah. So…" Nya wrings her hands together. "Do you want to make plans? To go out? Together?"

"Sure," Skylor says. She wonders immediately afterwards if that was the right word to use. "I mean – yeah. Yes. I'll text you after work."

Nya beams at her. "Okay! I'm going to head back to the Bounty. I'll – I'll hear from you later!"

She rushes out the back door. Skylor watches her go, then shakes her head to clear it and tries to refocus on work.

* * *

There's an unfamiliar woman standing outside the tower. Morro doesn't know why she catches his eye, some short woman with wavy white hair and thick glasses, standing by the entrance, out of the sun. He watches her through the car window, and then they turn a corner and he can't see her anymore.

The drive doesn't take long. Morro feels his hands shaking as he walks into the building. He and Borg check in at the front desk – Morro can barely hear Borg's words to the receptionist over the buzzing in his head. He follows Borg to the elevator, and they reach the lawyer's office before he's had time to prepare himself.

"Mister Cyrus Borg!" Macoun shakes Borg's hand with a grin before turning to Morro. "And you must be the boy I've heard so much about!"

Morro flinches. "That's not necessarily a good thing," he says, and he doesn't return the handshake.

"Sorry, I should clarify. Cyrus has told me many good things about you."

"Like what?"

Borg clears his throat. "We should get down to business," he says. "We've gotten most of the forms filled out, but there's some problems…"

"Of course. Come, to the table."

The office is big, filled with dark wooden furniture and many, many books. Morro sinks into the comfortable chair while Macoun sits across from them, on the other side of the desk. "How far did you get?" he asks.

"Well," Borg starts, "I've filed for custody already –"

"You did?" Morro says in surprise.

"…did you not know? I went this morning."

Morro blinks. "That was fast."

Borg coughs into his hand. "I may have been a little hasty. After the, ah, conversation I had with Wu, I was… hm. Anyway. I've filed for custody. My logic was that the first step should be to ensure I had the legal ability to make these kind of decisions for him."

"Let me know how that goes," Macoun says. "As I said, there shouldn't be a reason for anyone to contest the decision – but there could be complications."

"Well, I know he doesn't have any documents, but if no one had custody –"

"I was more referring to Morro's criminal history."

An awkward silence settles across the room. Morro finds he can't look Borg or Macoun in the eye. Borg coughs again and says, "Well," but Morro speaks up before he can continue.

"So?" he says. "Am I going to prison or something?"

"Doubtful. There's no legal precedent for when someone commits an act of terrorism, dies, and is resurrected."

Borg makes an odd noise, a sort of nervous chuckle he covers up with a cough. "I'm not sure I would call it that…"

"He destroyed an entire town," Macoun says. "What else would you have me call it?"

Borg doesn't have an answer for that.

"Listen," Macoun says. "I have no interest in having Morro face justice for his past actions. I share the believe of the Water Ninja when she says that resurrecting someone to punish them sets a bad precedent. However –" He turns to Morro as he speaks. "– it may be in your best interest to take on community service or the like, to show that you are trying to atone."

"We can discuss that later," Borg says. "Right now, I'd really like to discuss how Morro is supposed to get a social security number without a birth certificate."

Macoun frowns, but moves onto the next topic. Morro tunes them out as they talk; the buzzing in his head has returned, and he stares blankly at the bookshelves, all the titles blurring together. He thinks of the woman he saw outside the tower, and wonders why she stood out from everyone else on the sidewalk.

Eventually, it's time to go.

* * *

The woman is still out by the tower.

Morro excuses himself when they leave the garage. "I'm not going far," he tells Borg. "Just out by the lobby."

"Okay, well, if anything happens –"

"I'll be fine. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Less, maybe."

"Alright. I'll hold you to that!"

The woman doesn't look up at his approach. Morro walks nearly right in front of her and clears his throat. "Do I know you?" he says when she looks up.

She frowns. "Not particularly," she says. "Maybe you've heard of me. Does Terra ring a bell?"

 _Oh._ "Nova's friend," he says.

"A long time ago, yes. Maybe still. I don't know." She shrugs. "Care for a walk?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Fair. Might as well go inside, then."

Morro and Terra find a fairly empty section of the lobby's sitting area. "What do you want?" Morro asks once they're seated. "I saw you a while ago. Have you just been standing out there the whole time?"

Terra leans forward, clasping her hands together. "I wanted to warn you," she says. "Your very existence is causing people a lot of problems."

"Okay." Morro stands up to leave. "Bye."

"Oh, so you don't want to hear it?" Terra's eyes narrow behind her glasses. "You just want to continue on causing pain wherever you go?"

"So what do I do about it? _Stop_ existing?"

"Oh no, I know you've already tried that."

Morro flinches, the memory of that day dragged to the forefront of his mind. "How do you know about that?!" he snaps.

Terra smiles. "Hospital records aren't as private as everyone thinks they are. At least, not when you know the right people. But no, I'm not telling you to repeat that. I just want you to… be aware."

"Aware of what?"

"The climate. Have you noticed that Cyrus Borg doesn't make many appearances in public anymore?"

"He just…"

Morro trails off. When he had first gotten there, Borg had been happy to take him to the movie theater, or the comic book store – but that's since stopped. When did it stop? His hands are starting to tremble, and he can't find the words to continue.

"Oh certainly, he's always been a bit introverted," Terra says. "But something has changed. He doesn't get as friendly a response from the people anymore. Do you wonder why that is? You must know. I don't actually think you're stupid." Her expression darkens. "Oh no, you know what you're doing, don't you?"

This isn't fair. "I just want –"

"Want what? Want to live your life in peace, while everyone who gives a damn about you suffers? This world is all about sacrifices. You certainly seem willing to sacrifice others for your happiness."

Borg told him everyone was infinitely deserving of happiness, once. Maybe Morro is remembering it wrong. "What do you want from me?" he says.

"You have the chance to do something truly good in your life, something to help someone who – unlike you – deserved her second chance." Terra stands up. "So don't ruin it. That's all I want."

She leaves.

Morro breathing gets faster and eyes dart around the lobby. He can't see anyone looking at him – but he knows the city is watching. His hands still shaking, he takes out his phone and texts Borg, letting him know he's going to be out later than expected.

* * *

He tells Borg he'll meet up with Skylor before marching down the street, hands stuffed in his pants pockets, trying not to meet anyone's eyes. He isn't wearing his hoodie, so he has no way to hide his face – Morro scowls at the ground and keeps walking. Hopefully no one will look at him too carefully.

He makes it to Ronin's pawn shop without incident. Ronin himself is sitting at the counter, tinkering with some clockwork contraption. "We're closing in 'bout fifteen minutes," he says without looking up as Morro walks in. "You buying or selling?"

"Do you have any records?"

Ronin snaps his head up at the sound of Morro's voice. "And just what are you doing here?" he says, a hard edge to his voice.

Morro shrugs. "I have a record player but no records."

"There are plenty of other places to buy records. You didn't need to come here."

"Do you have any or not?"

Ronin scowls, then jabs a finger at a corner of the store. "Over there. Not all of them are labeled."

The records are piled haphazardly on a shelf. There's a good couple dozen of them, and Morro picks them up one by one, sliding them out of the sleeves to look at them. A lot of them aren't in good condition. He sorts those out from the decent quality ones, and returns to the counter with three of them. Ronin glances at them when Morro puts them down, then back up.

"You have cash?" he asks.

"I have a card."

"I only take cash."

Morro frowns. "I don't have cash."

"Then I guess you gotta put those back."

Morro doesn't move. Ronin glares at him. "What do you want?" he says.

"The records."

"You going to try and steal them or something? Threaten me?"

"No," Morro says. "I could work for them."

"Yeah, no."

"This place is a mess. I bet you could use someone to help clean it up."

"How about you put those records back and get out. We're closing."

Morro looks down at the floor. It's filthy. He takes a step back and aims his hands.

"What are you –"

Ronin is interrupted by the jets of wind kicking up dust and dirt. Ronin sneezes, sputters angrily, then says, "Alright, stop. You want to work that badly? I'm getting you a broom."

Ronin stands up and walks past him, flipping the sign on the front door from "OPEN" to "CLOSED" and locking it. "Don't touch anything," he says to Morro before disappearing into the back room.

Morro waits in silence until Ronin returns with the broom. Morro takes it with a nod and gets to work.


	26. Every day I say, this time around my vision's getting clearer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh it's a shorter chapter this time; like ~1700 words. sorry about that! the scene that I could've added would've bumped up the wordcount to like, 3000+, and it's honestly better as its own chapter. so yeah. shorter chapter.
> 
> no warnings?? I don't think??? we're good here

Morro sweeps slowly and deliberately as the hour grows late. Ronin watches him from behind the counter, the contraption he was working with left untouched. Morro wasn't given a dustpan, so he makes little piles of dirt all around the room until he's gotten to every area, even sticking the broom under old pieces of furniture to get the clumps of dust that have collected under there.

It's when he starts trying to move the piles across the floor and collect them into one that Ronin moves. "Don't do that. Wait there."

Morro waits. Ronin goes into the back room and comes back with the dustpan. "Trash is behind the counter," he says as he hands it over. "Almost full. Could probably take it out to the dumpster when you're done."

"Okay," says Morro.

Ronin sits in one of the chairs for sale while Morro goes back and forth from the piles he's made to the trash. Once every pile has been taken care of, he takes the bag out and ties it up. "Where's the dumpster?" he asks.

"What's your motive?"

"What?"

Ronin rolls his eyes. "You walk in here, to _my_ pawn shop, out of everywhere else in the city, with all your history, all your baggage, and I'm supposed to believe all you want are some old records?"

"I wanted to apologize."

"What the hell, kid?"

Morro scowls. "I did a lot to hurt people," he spits out. "You were one of the people I hurt. I didn't think I would feel bad about it – but I do, now. It was wrong. Hurting you was wrong. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."

Ronin blinks. "And you thought that coming in here and sweeping my floors would get me to accept your apology?"

"Not really."

"So you won't be disappointed when I tell you that you're gonna have to do a lot more than sweeping to make up for what you did."

"I can go now, if you want."

Ronin stares at him for a long few moments. Morro meets his gaze and forces himself not to look away.

"Dumpster's in the back," Ronin says. "Just go through that door and keep going until you're outside. I need to lock up the cash."

"Okay."

He drags the trash bag behind him while he follows Ronin's directions. The dumpster is easy enough to find in the alley, and he manages to open it and shove the bag into it without a problem.

When he returns, Ronin is turning all the lights off. "I'll let you have _one_ of those records," he says. "Just one. You can come back tomorrow for another."

"What?"

"Told you, it's gonna take more than sweeping. You want to apologize? Come back tomorrow and work for it. I'm not going to turn down free labor."

"So you won't pay me."

"'Course not," Ronin says. "Unless an old record every now and then counts as payment. Now scram. If you're serious about this, be back here tomorrow at ten in the morning."

"Okay."

"Seriously, we're done here. Get out."

The record Morro chooses is unlabeled, in a plain white sleeve. He'll figure out what's on it when he gets back home. Ronin holds the door open for him and locks it as soon as he's through. Morro takes a moment to orient himself before heading out of the alley.

"Oh, is that a record? Should've figured you'd be into that stuff!"

Morro freezes. He knows that voice.

Nova grins at him, leaning against the wall of the pawn shop. "Been a while, zombie boy," she says. "Ready to go home yet?"

Morro has a feeling she isn't talking about Borg Tower.

He takes a step back. Nova takes a step forward. Morro swallows hard and speaks.

"Why are you doing this?" he says.

Nova comes closer. "This world works on sacrifices," she says, and the grin vanishes from her face. "I've tried to pretend otherwise for too long. If I want to save myself from the Cursed Realm, I have to give the Preeminent something she wants."

"She already _has_ me," Morro snaps. "I'm doomed to the Cursed Realm when I die, just like you are. What makes you think bringing me to her will save you?"

"She wants you alive."

Morro feels very, very cold all of a sudden. He opens his mouth, but finds he has no response. Nova smirks.

"We can keep this nice and easy," she says. "Just come quietly and I won't have to do anything drastic. How does that sound?"

A light illuminates them both. "What the hell's going on out here?"

Morro looks back. Ronin is standing in the back door of the pawnshop, shining a flashlight at them. "Kid, I told you to go home," he says. "And who are you?"

Nova puts her hands up and smiles. "You're Ronin, right?" she says. "How much will it cost for you to leave us alone?"

"Ten thousand," Ronin says without missing a beat.

"Ten thousand… what?"

"Ten thousand."

Nova frowns. "I don't have ten thousand of… anything."

"Then I guess I gotta call security." Ronin puts his hand to his face as if he's holding a phone. "Hello? Security? Yeah, we've got a situation. Some weirdo's harassing my free labor. Sure, I'll take care of it. Great, bye."

He steps out of the doorframe, and pulls out a gun. Nova grabs Morro and yanks him to her chest.

"Are you going to risk shooting him?" she says while Morro struggles. "Is that something you're willing to –"

Ronin aims. "I mean, he really did some shit," he says. "And he's skinnier than you, I can probably manages to hit you and not him. So why don't you drop him and get out?"

Nova snarls right in Morro's ear. "You can't save him, you know," she says. "If it's not me, it'll be someone else. How much are you willing to risk for your free labor?"

"So, you gonna drop him? Or do I have to shoot someone?"

Morro is released unexpectedly, and he stumbles forward, keeping a tight grip on his record. Ronin lowers the gun as Nova turns and walks away, out of the alley and disappearing into the night.

"I'll drive you home," Ronin says while Morro takes deep breaths.

"I can walk."

"Nope. I'm driving you. Get over here."

Morro scowls, but does as he's told.

* * *

Borg doesn't suspect anything's wrong when Morro returns. He's too busy with work to meet him in the lobby, so Morro goes up to his room after exchanging a few texts. Morro feels a little bad about lying to him – but what else could he do? He couldn't tell him, "Yeah, I'm going to wander around the city until I find the pawn shop of a guy who hates me so I can apologize to him, I'll be back whenever."

So Morro doesn't tell Borg about Nova. He doesn't need more trouble in his life.

* * *

"Good morning, Pixal!" Cyrus says brightly. "Is there something you… ah…"

He trails off when he sees Pixal's serious expression, almost angry. Her avatar is alone this time, though Cyrus knows Zane must be listening. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about, Father," she says.

"Of course! I'm certainly open to talking!" Cyrus chuckles, his palm sweaty. "What did you, ah, want to talk about?"

Pixal wordlessly pulls up a security feed. Cyrus' stomach lurches.

He was so certain he had disabled the cameras – but no, there they are, Morro and himself in that old office, Morro carefully drawing runes on a plank of wood. There's no sound, so there's no way Pixal could have heard the incantation Cyrus recites – but the plank hovering in midair and bursting into flames is incriminating enough.

In the feed, Morro grabs a bucket of water and dumps it on the levitating fiery orb, then turns to Cyrus just before Pixal closes the feed.

"You told me you were only looking for information," she says. "Is that all this is? Looking for information?"

Cyrus swallows hard. "I, ah –"

"How long have you been doing this?"

"I've had a hectic time of things, I don't exactly remember…"

"How long, Father?"

"…about two weeks, I'd say. Maybe longer."

"You could die," Pixal says. "You could get yourself and Morro killed. Worse, perhaps. Did the Overlord teach you nothing?"

"I – I –" Cyrus grabs at his right shoulder, his left hand trembling. "That's – that's not – that was uncalled for, Pixal!"

"Once again, you are proud, you are overconfident, and you think you have everything under control. Is that not the same behavior that caused the Overlord to return?"

"This is _nothing_ like that –"

"There are some things that are beyond your ability. You need to understand this. Some things are impossible for even you and your mind."

"I can't accept that," Cyrus says. "With some things, certainly, but not in this case, not with Morro's soul."

"What would Morro do if something happened to you?" Pixal's expression softens. "What would _I_ do?"

Cyrus stares at her, at the avatar on the screen, for a few moments before he can find words. "Well, it's going to happen sooner or later," he says. "I'm only mortal, after all. I don't expect to outlive you."

And just like that, Pixal's expression goes hard again. "Do you expect to die doing this? Is that what this is about?"

"No, no, I –"

"But you've taken it into account, haven't you?"

"Not exactly –"

Pixal's avatar turns away from him. "Zane, we are telling the others."

"No!" Cyrus yelps. "Please, Pixal –"

"I will not stand by and watch you doom yourself. Haven't you felt the same way? That you cannot stand by and do nothing when you can do something to help?"

Cyrus grits his teeth. "Pixal, as your _creator,_ I demand that you –"

"You are not my creator," Pixal says. "You are my father, and I love you. I'm sorry."

She ends the call.

Cyrus spends the rest of the day in high anxiety, waiting for a call from Wu, but it never happens.


	27. Cycles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings!! nothing bad happens!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> it's longer than the previous chapter but still shorter than I wanted but it's kind of just a here-to-there chapter, like, I gotta write it to get to the Big Stuff.

Skylor is honored that Morro would want to name himself at least partially after her, and she tells him so. "Sure," she says while she turns the stove on, "it's a little weird, but it's a good weird, you know?"

Morro shrugs. "Alright."

"What brings you here so early, anyway? I thought you and Borg did stuff together in the mornings."

"He said he wasn't feeling up to it, and I have work soon, anyway."

"You have _what?_ "

"Work," Morro says, raising an eyebrow at Skylor's incredulous expression. "I have a job now. Kind of."

"Doing… what, exactly?"

"I don't know. Whatever Ronin tells me to do."

Skylor frowns. "Ronin. The guy who does questionably legal stuff for money."

"I'm just working at his pawn shop. It's fine."

"Doesn't he hate you?"

"It's fine, okay?"

"If you say so." Skylor checks on the cooking food. "The other employees are going to be here soon. What time is your shift?"

"Ten." Morro stands up. "I'll go now. Can we hang out later?"

"I have plans tonight, sorry. Maybe another time?" Skylor blinks. "Oh! I just remembered! I got invited to a party this weekend with the other elemental masters."

"The other elemental masters? You mean the ninja?"

"Nah, they don't usually show up. The _other_ other elemental masters. After the whole thing with the tournament and my dad, we kept in contact, sort of? Some of them are a little weird around me, but Chamille throws these parties, and she invites me to them. She invited the ninja too, but last I heard they weren't available. Kai told me he's gonna try and show up anyway, though."

Morro frowns. "And they all have elemental powers?"

"Yep." Skylor grins. "You should come! I mean, they've heard of you, you're an elemental master, and they're generally nice people. I can pick you up the day of, and I wouldn't mind leaving early if you didn't want to stay for long."

"Okay," Morro says. "I'll go."

"Great! I'll see you then – sooner too, probably, but definitely then."

Morro nods. "Alright. Bye."

He waves as he leaves. Skylor smiles and waves back before getting back to work.

* * *

Ronin has Morro wipe down the shelves. "Just take everything off and wipe it down with this," he says, handing Morro an old rag. "Start over by the instruments and go from there. Stay out of the way of any customers. If they ask any questions, tell them to come to me."

Morro nods. "Should I wipe down the instruments, too?"

"Nah, I dust it all off every once in a while. Should be fine."

A saxophone takes up most of the first shelf, lying on its side with an accompaniment of flutes, plastic recorders, and a tiny violin. Morro carefully puts them all on the floor and wrinkles his nose; the shelf is covered with a thick layer of dust. Well, that's what he's there to fix.

There aren't many customers this early in the day. Ronin spends most of his time watching Morro from the counter, only looking away the few times someone walks in. The customers keep their distance, and finish their business without any need for Morro to interact with them.

Eventually, after he's finished with the first wall of shelves, Morro is tired and hungry, and his legs are aching from being on his feet for so long. It occurs to him that he doesn't know when he can go home. He puts everything back and goes over to Ronin.

"Do I get any breaks?" he asks.

Ronin looks up and shrugs. "Sure, whenever. I mean, don't take too long, or too many – but you're not an official employee, so I don't really care."

"Do you have any official employees?"

"Nope."

"Okay. I'm taking a break."

"Fine with me. Hang out anywhere in the back, just don't go upstairs."

Morro figures half an hour is a good enough break, and he takes out his phone and starts texting Skylor. Ronin's break room doesn't have any sugar packets, he notes in disappointment, but he has some in his pockets he can eat.

< Hey, Nya's going to be at that party.  
< Are you alright with that?

as long as she doesnt talk to me yeah >

< Okay, just making sure.  
< I have to get back to work.  
< I'll talk to you later! :)

Skylor stops responding after that. Morro puts his phone aside and leans back in the chair, staring at the ceiling.

He ends up heading back to work after not even fifteen minutes. Ronin instructs him to continue wiping down the shelves, and goes back to haggling with a customer. Morro thinks it's going to be a very long day.

* * *

"Hey!" Kai says loudly, leaping into the Bounty's kitchen. "Skylor invited me to one of those elemental master parties! It's this weekend, who wants to go? She already got a yes from Nya!"

"Nah," says Lloyd.

"Alright. Cole? Jay?"

"I would," Cole says, "but we're still being punished for the Temple thing."

"Yeah," says Jay. "I don't think Sensei Wu's gonna let us go."

"Oh. That sucks. Where's Zane?"

"I'm right here." Zane walks into the room, frowning. "I… there's something…"

He trails off as everyone turns to look at him. "What is it, bro?" Kai says.

"It's nothing," he says after a long pause. "Just… I will tell you later."

"Okay…?" Kai says as Zane walks away. "Hey, want to go to a party?"

"No."

"Alright, cool."

Once Zane is gone, Kai turns back to the others. "What's up with Zane? He's been acting weird since yesterday."

"Dunno," says Cole. "He keeps almost telling us something, then… changing his mind. Maybe something's up with his programming?"

"I could take a look at him," Jay says. "Just to make sure nothing's like, seriously wrong. Or Nya could, once she gets back from her date."

"Cool," Kai says, then blinks. "Wait, she's on a _date?_ "

"Yeah," Cole says. "With Skylor."

"Oh." Kai pauses. "Hey, Jay –"

"I'm fine!" Jay says quickly. "Sure we dated, but – it didn't work out, she's not interested in me, and I'm totally fine with it."

"You sure?"

"I'll get over it!"

Kai decides to drop the subject.

* * *

Nya is waiting for her once Skylor's off work, meeting her at the bus stop. She's wearing a fancy red dress with intricate gold patterns and a ribbon tied around her waist. She looks a lot nicer than Skylor's mustard-yellow shirt and grimy jeans. Skylor almost turns around and leaves, but that would be much worse than showing up to a date underdressed. So she forces herself to wave and approach Nya with a smile.

"I hope I'm not too casual," she says, nervously toying with her ponytail. "I came straight from work, so I didn't have time to change into anything nicer."

"It's fine!" Nya says quickly. "Really, it's fine. You always look nice."

Skylor feels her cheeks flush. Nya's own face reddens. "Sorry," she says. "I'm not very good at this."

"You're fine," Skylor says. "Where are we going?"

Nya takes her to the park, after paying the bus fare for both of them. Skylor can't help but smile as she fumbles in her purse for change, handing the last two coins to the bus driver with a nervous chuckle. It's not that she's laughing at her, it's just – endearing, how she's acting, somehow? Like she had this plan and she's doing her best to follow it. Skylor wouldn't be able to explain it if she was asked.

"What's at the park?" she asks Nya once they're sitting. "I mean, it's a nice day for it regardless of whether there's anything, but I was just wondering…"

"There's some sort of music thing going on," Nya says. "Not like, a big festival, but there's going to be a live show. I think it's some sort of alternative genre? Like, soft rock or something? There are violins. I don't know anything about music."

"That's cool," Skylor says. "Music is nice."

"If we don't like it, we can go somewhere else. Like, the park's near a lot of other places."

"We could, yeah. There are probably nice spots to have dinner at, too."

"Oh! I brought lunch, actually." Nya digs in her purse and pulls out two sandwich bags that, presumably, contained sandwiches once, but the contents have been so hideously mangled and crushed that it's hard to tell. "Or, uh, buying lunch works too."

Skylor has to suppress a giggle.

When they get to the park, the band is still setting up on the stage. The guitarist is tuning, it sounds like. Skylor looks around; there aren't a lot of other people there yet. "Do you want to walk around?" she asks Nya, who nods.

The park isn't all that quiet. There's the background noise of cars on the surrounding streets, people chatting, kids playing, and bikes going by. They walk for a while without talking, then Skylor speaks up. "Why me?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, it's not like I'm offended, or that I don't like you, I just…" Skylor looks down at the path. "I don't understand, I guess. Why do you like me?"

"I, um…" Nya smiles awkwardly. "I mean, I guess… it's hard to put into words? You're… strong! And independent! And, um… my type? I'm not really sure. I've only really dated one other person before, and you're not much like Jay."

Skylor laughs. "I'm not really sure I am those things. Not all the time, anyway."

"Well, I'm not either!" Nya says. "No one can be one thing all the time. I dunno, it's hard to really articulate. But I really do like you, and I want to get to know you better."

"Framing it as romantic this early on can be risky. What if this doesn't work out, and it's too awkward for us to be friends anymore?"

"That'll suck. Can we try and stay friends, even if we realize dating isn't working?"

"Deal."

Back from the stage, they hear a microphone turn on, and they make their way back. While they sit in the grass and watch the music, Nya reaches for Skylor's hand. She hesitates; Skylor smiles and makes the move, gently covering Nya's hand with her own and twining their fingers together.

* * *

"Oh, you're still here?"

Morro looks up from the shelf he's wiping, low enough that he's kneeling on the floor to reach it. "What?"

Ronin shrugs. "Didn't think you'd stay until closing, that's all. Guess you're more serious about this than I thought."

Morro scowls up at him and stands. "Can I go now?"

"I dunno, you almost got kidnapped or something just yesterday. Maybe leave through the front, it's at least lit up out there. And here – give me your phone. I'll put my number in, so if that chick comes back you can call it."

"Okay."

While Ronin puts his number in, Morro finds himself smirking. Ronin hands his phone back and frowns. "What's that face?"

"Always thought your show of apathy was… just that. A show."

"Yeah, yeah. Get the hell out."

Morro makes it back home without incident.

* * *

The next few days go by in a blur. Morro goes to the pawn shop most every day. Borg at least is supportive of him having a job, even if he doesn't know Ronin personally – and it's probably better that he doesn't. He meets with Skylor once again, but the other days Morro goes straight from Borg Tower to Ronin's place.

It seems almost like no time at all when the day of the party arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is the party
> 
> brace yourselves; it's the beginning of the end.


	28. Give what you take; take what you give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what to warn for here. proceed with caution if ur hyperempathetic like I am, I guess? other than that there's no like… really bad events, I don't think, other than some shouting.
> 
> god im so bad at this.
> 
> 4 chapters left, after this one

"Alright, kids!" Kai says brightly, pulling up in front of Borg Tower in what looks suspiciously like Jay's vehicle. "You ready for the party?"

Nya sticks her head out of the passenger window. "Hi, Skylor!"

Skylor waves at her with a smile. Morro rolls his eyes. Borg beams at them, then mumbles under his breath, "Is it really safe to drive that thing…?"

"Okay," Skylor says, turning to Morro and Borg. "We'll be back pretty late, but I'll stay with Morro so nothing bad happens. I can probably get Kai to drive us back – well, almost definitely, but if someone else offers I might go with them. I know basically everyone at the party, it's safe."

"Don't worry, I'm not worried," Borg says. "I trust you'll stay safe. Morro, call me if there's any trouble, alright?"

"Yes," Morro says.

"Or if you just want to come home for any reason –"

"I know."

"I mean it, if anyone makes you uncomfortable –"

"We'll be _fine,_ " Morro snaps. "It's just a party."

"Bad things can happen at parties!" Borg pauses. "Not that I'm worried. But please stay safe."

"Yeah, whatever."

Skylor and Morro squeeze into the cramped back of the car and Kai immediately takes off. "What's the address, again?" he asks. "Chamille's hosting, I know… huh, I haven't seen her since the tournament, actually!"

"We're going to the corner of Robin and State streets," Skylor says, leaning forward.

"The rich people neighborhood? Is she rich?"

Skylor frowns. "It's not the rich people neighborhood, and she doesn't live there, anyway. She works at a party rental place, and they're not using the space tonight, so she got to have it."

"Oh, cool." Kai pauses. "Is there going to be, like, drinks?"

"Probably."

"Don't drink, Kai," Nya says. "You're the one driving us home."

"What?" Kai says. "You can drive! It's not like I'm the designated driver! I'm allowed to drink!"

"Kai, _please._ I don't want to have to watch you the whole time."

"I'm old enough! Shouldn't I be the one making sure _you_ don't drink?"

Morro pulls his hood down over his eyes and leans against the window, trying to tune out Nya and Kai's argument. Skylor gives him a pat on the back, then says, "Hey, Kai, I heard Karlof's gonna be there."

"Who?"

"Karlof? Master of Metal?"

"Mmm. Not ringing a bell."

"You fought him on the ship? He almost beat you in the first round of the tournament?"

"The keyword here is _almost._ "

"So you do remember him?"

"Nope."

"Seriously?"

They don't get there as fast as Morro would've liked, but they get there, and the conversation stops. "Alright!" Kai says once he's parked, the vehicular contraption looking very out of place next to the ordinary cars. "Let's get this party started!"

Morro gets out. There's a deep _thud thud thud_ of music coming from the door in front of them. He takes a deep breath.

"You good?" Skylor asks.

"Yeah," Morro says. "Let's go."

* * *

"Hey, look who it is, it's Skylor, Master of Amber!" The woman hobbles over to them and throws an arm around Skylor's shoulders. She shakes her messy mop of purple hair out of her eyes and grins, holding in her free hand what is probably an alcoholic beverage. "Kai, too! Master of Fire! Nya, you're the Master of Water now, right?" Her gaze falls on Morro. "And this must be the Master of Wind you've told me so much about! Hey, Karlof! Kai's here!"

"I honest to God do not remember who Karlof is," Kai says.

The woman cracks up. "Well, he definitely remembers you! I'm Chamille, by the way. Master of Form, and hostess of this party. C'mon, Skylor, we gotta introduce the Master of Wind to the others!"

Chamille starts tugging on Skylor's arm, pulling her towards the group on the dance floor. No one seems to be doing any dancing, except for someone who's darting around from place to place too fast for Morro to see clearly. He blinks. It shouldn't be possible for someone to move that fast.

"Okay, okay!" Skylor laughs. "C'mon, guys."

The blur of motion skids to a stop in front of them before they get very far, revealing himself to be a young man with slicked-back brown hair and red-tinted sunglasses. "Oh, hey, Skylor! This the new kid?"

"I'm not really new," says Morro.

"You're new to us!" The man darts to Morro almost instantaneously, holding out a hand. "Name's Griffin Turner. How about you?"

"Morro."

He returns the handshake and is yanked forward, off his feet and swept up in Griffin's arm. He yelps in protest, hears Skylor say, "Griffin, don't –" but Griffin doesn't stick around to listen. Before he knows it, Morro is at the dance floor, still in Griffin's arms, surrounded by the other elemental masters.

"Here's the new kid!" Griffin announces.

Morro blinks, and he's back upright on his feet. Disoriented, he staggers to the side and is caught by someone else. He mumbles a quick thanks to the man, someone who looks too young for his gray hair, and stands up straight. He looks at the others and opens his mouth to say something, but all that comes out is, "Uh."

"Griffin, oh my God," a woman says. She has light green hair tied back on top of her head, and a crop top with an unfamiliar symbol on it. Her skin is covered in green blotches, and she takes a swig of her drink and grins. "Sorry about him. You're Morro, right? Skylor told us she was bringing you. I'm Tox, Master of Poison." She gestures to Griffin. "You've already met the Master of Speed."

"I'm Ash," says the man who caught him. "Master of Smoke."

"Neuro," says an older-looking man with gray and white hair and a black goatee, "Master of Mind."

Tox snorts. "Neuro's the oldest person here. He's practically everyone's dad."

"I told you to stop calling me that –"

The next person steps up, a tall man with brown hair and a thick beard. "Bolobo, Master of Nature and good times.

The person next to him, a gray-skinned man with black hair and dark circles around his eyes, shakes his head. "Your idea of a good time is sitting around in a forest and smoking –"

Bolobo gently puts a hand on the other man's face, shutting him up. "This is Shade, Master of Shadow," he says. "He's always a dick, don't be offended. The DJ is Jacob, Master of Sound – he's not super social. Dunno where the others went."

"Gravis couldn't make it," Chamille says, finally making it over with Skylor and Nya – Kai isn't with them. "Karlof's got Kai cornered by the drinks, and Paleman… oh God, he better not be doing the stripper thing again. I'm going to stop inviting him, I swear."

Ash rolls his eyes. "Chill, Chamille, he went out for a smoke."

"And he's not back yet? Anyone know how much he's had to drink?"

"Less than you," says Tox. "And you're the host!"

Ash nods in agreement. "Seriously, how are you getting home?"

"I'm crashing here tonight. I've got a sleeping bag up in the loft for exactly these situations." Chamille grins. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting myself another drink."

She walks away. Ash sighs. "It's a damn good thing everyone here knows each other, for the most part," he says. "What if some weirdo tried to get in here?"

"I'd like to see them try," Tox says. "I just have to poke them and they'll die."

Morro surreptitiously moves away from her.

"You know what?" Bolobo says. "Master of Wind isn't the only new elemental master around. Hey, Master of Water!"

The group turns to Nya, who lets out a nervous laugh and backs up. Skylor takes a step towards her and holds her hand.

"Nothing to be nervous about," she says quietly. Morro looks at them, looks at Skylor's expression, and wonders if he's missing something.

"Right!" Nya says. "I mean, we've sort of met before? Back at the tournament, and, uh, afterwards."

"This is the first time we've met without _someone's_ dad trying to take over Ninjago, let's put it that way," Shade mutters.

"Hey," Neuro says sharply. "Drop it."

"Nothing to drop."

Skylor frowns, but doesn't say anything.

"So how'd you get your powers?" Griffin asks. "I mean, you didn't have them at the tournament! What happened?"

"There was, uh –" Nya glances at Morro for a fraction of a second. Morro looks away as she continues talking. "– this thing that came up? And the other ninja lost their powers for a little while, and so I had to train to, uh, pick up the slack?"

"Wait," Tox says, "you didn't know before training?"

"Not really? Kai and I found out our dad was the previous Master of Fire, but Sensei Wu never told us that our mother was the Master of Water." Nya laughs again. "He said I wasn't ready, which I guess –"

"He _knew_ and he didn't tell you?" Neuro says incredulously. "That's kind of shitty, don't you think?"

The other elemental masters voice their agreement. Nya's smile falters. "I mean, I don't really know…"

"Hey!" Griffin says, and he does a few circles around the group before stumbling and nearly tipping over before righting himself and grinning. "Are you and Skylor a thing or something?"

Morro snaps his head up from where he was staring at the floor.

Nya and Skylor are both blushing. Skylor is still holding Nya's hand. They're both grinning, and when Skylor nods, Tox cheers and says, "I'd hug you, but you'd get like, chemical burns and junk. Congratulations!"

"It's only been a few days," Skylor says. "Still to early to really, y'know, know what will happen."

"Yeah," Nya says. "But I guess we are a thing now!"

Morro feels –

Well.

It's not like he cares, not really. Skylor can date who she wants. He already knows she's friends with Kai. It's not like Skylor dating the Water Ninja means anything to _him._

He wanders off and finds himself at the drinks.

"You're too young for that," Kai remarks as Morro cracks open one of the beers.

"I was dead for fifty years," Morro says, and he drinks it straight from the can.

"Skylor's gonna kill us both."

"I don't care what she thinks." Beer tastes awful, Morro notices. He drinks more anyway.

"Do you want, like, ice or something?"

"Morro!"

That's Skylor. Morro scowls at his can and doesn't look up.

"Oh my God – Kai, did you dare him or something?"

"What? No! He marched right up and grabbed a beer all on his own!"

"And you didn't stop him?"

"I'm not his babysitter!"

Skylor groans. "Morro, don't drink anymore. Borg will flip out if you come home drunk."

"Why do you care?" Morro mutters.

"What?" Skylor says. "You're my friend. Isn't that reason enough?"

"Am I really your friend?"

" _What?_ "

Morro looks up and glares at her. "Friendships go both ways, right?" he says. "What have I ever done for you?"

Skylor frowns at him. "What's going on with you?"

"Answer the question!"

She blinks, and her expression turns soft – _pitying._ "I like spending time with you," she says. "I like talking to you. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Do you? Do you really?" Morro grits his teeth. "Or do you just feel sorry for me, just like Lloyd did?"

"Dude!" Kai steps towards them, his hands balled into fists. "Don't talk about him like that!"

"You shut up!" Morro yells, whirling to face him. "I didn't fucking ask to be brought back! I never wanted this! All _he_ wanted was to feel better about himself!"

"Morro!" Skylor shouts. "What's going _on_ with you?"

"I'm sick of people feeling sorry for me," Morro growls. "I'm sick of people thinking they know what's best for me. I don't understand how anyone looks at me and sees someone with a future. No matter what happens to me here, no matter what Borg tries to do, adopting me or making potions or whatever – it's not going to change that I'm going back to the Cursed Realm when I die!" A thought creeps into his mind, and he spits it out knowing full well it will hurt. "Just like your dad!"

The blood drains out of Skylor's face.

"Alright, it's time for you to shut the hell up," Kai says, and he grabs Morro's arm, yanking him back. Morro meets Skylor's gaze and continues.

"I saw him there, you know," he says. "After the Preeminent was drowned. He's still down there! Drowning endlessly, never able to reach the surface, trapped there to suffer because of what the Water Ninja did!"

Skylor turns and runs.

"Skylor, wait!" Nya calls out, but she's going too fast, out the door before Nya can reach her.

Kai lets go of Morro long enough to slug him.

"You piece of shit!" he shouts, while Morro clutches his face. "What was _that?_ What the hell was that!"

Morro doesn't have an answer for him.

"God! You piece of shit!" Kai looks up at the door, where Nya has followed Skylor outside. "Just – fuck! Goddammit!"

He runs to the door. Morro, not knowing what else to do, follows him.

Skylor and Nya are nowhere to be seen outside. "Goddammit," Kai says again. "What the hell are you out here for? This is your fault!"

Morro says nothing.

"God. We need to find her. Go look –" Kai points. "– I don't know, that way."

He nods and turns to start running.

"Y'know," Kai says, stopping him before he can go, "I really tried to like you. Tried to think you were different now. But honestly? It's good to know that you'll never change. You'll always be a piece of shit, and I can hate you without any guilt." He pauses. "Lloyd should've _never_ brought you back."

Morro stands there until Kai's running footsteps fade into the distance, and then he forces himself to move.

* * *

"Skylor! Skylor! Where are you?"

Nya keeps shouting as she runs, knowing there's no way she'll be able to catch up with her if Skylor's using her borrowed element of speed – still, she calls out, over and over. "Skylor! Skylor, please!"

She can't catch up on foot – but if she summons her dragon, Nya won't be able to see Skylor in the streets below. What can she do? Nya feels tears pricking at her eyes. She wipes them away and keeps going.

"Skylor," she says, much quieter than before. "Skylor… please, I'm sorry. Where are you?"

She reaches the docks. Nya slows down to a walk and looks around. "Skylor?" she calls out.

There's no response, but Nya catches a flash of red hair, a figure sitting on a bench by the water. "Skylor!" Nya shouts, and she rushes over to her. "Skylor, are you… okay?"

Skylor sniffs and rubs her nose. "I'm fine," she whispers.

Nya sits next to her, and they look out at the docks, silhouettes of boats bobbing in the water. The city is bright enough they can't see any stars in the night sky.

"I wish –" Skylor starts, then cuts herself off. "I mean – God, I don't know."

"I'm sorry," says Nya.

"You didn't do anything wrong. What could you have done differently? I wanted you to come to the party. I wanted to be a couple." She sniffs again. "I still do. I just – dammit, I knew Morro had all these goddamn _issues,_ but I really thought he was getting better. Even asked him if he minded you being there. And he _still_ – I can't keep coddling him like this!"

"You didn't do anything wrong, either," Nya says. "I mean – you have a right to be angry at him! I'm angry at him!"

"I shouldn't be angry for other reasons," Skylor says. "I get angry, and I – I'm too much like my dad when he doesn't get what he wants. I try every day – I try so hard – I don't want to be like that."

"You're not like that," Nya says immediately. "You could never – God, Skylor, you're such a good person. You went through all that and you still came out – just, you're so _good._ "

Skylor wipes her eyes. "I don't know," she says. "I – I try so hard, but – I don't think I'm good for the right reasons. I'm good because I'm afraid of how people will treat me if I'm anything else. Does that really count?"

"Of course it counts!" Nya says, the intensity of her voice surprising them both. Skylor looks at her, tears staining her face, while Nya continues. "I mean – no one else is gonna know why you're good! They just see that you're _good._ That you helped them. That you're kind to them. I know you're worried, but… it really doesn't matter, much, as long as you do good things."

Skylor keeps staring at her. Nya feels her cheeks grow hot. "I mean – sorry, that was kind of…"

"No," Skylor says. "It's… helpful, I think? I don't know. You'll have to tell me again, later, when I'm out of this mood."

Nya smiles. "That's a deal."

They sit there for a while in silence, listening to the sound of the waves, the boats knocking against the docks. "I should let Kai know you're alright," Nya says. "I'm gonna text him real quick."

She takes out her phone and sends the message. Kai responds back almost instantaneously, and Nya finds herself frowning as his messages arrive. "Apparently Morro ran after you, too," she says. "'Course, he's looking in the exact opposite direction."

"Good," Skylor says. "I don't want to talk to him just yet. I'm glad he didn't find me."

"Yeah. Kai's gonna go get him, then… I guess we'll start heading home? We should let Chamille and everyone know we're alright."

"I'll take the bus," Skylor says. "Or something. My place isn't too far from here."

"I'll walk with you. You shouldn't be going by yourself." Nya puts a hand on her shoulder. "Kai can pick me up after he drops off Morro."

"Alright."

Nya's ringtone starts playing, and she nearly drops her phone in surprise. "Ah! Why's Kai calling me?" She sighs and answers. "What's up?"

"Uh," Kai says, his voice distorted over the connection. "Nothing good. Morro's gone."

Nya sits up straight. "Morro's _what?_ "

"Gone. I heard screaming, him and someone else, and I ran over – found his phone, on the ground, but no Morro." Kai takes a shaky breath. "Maybe you should come over. Fifth and Canal Street. I'm pretty sure something bad happened."

"What's going on?" Skylor asks.

Nya glances at her. "We'll be there as soon as we can," she says to Kai. "Just… call if anything else happens."

She hangs up, quickly repeats the information to Skylor, and the two of them set off at a run.


	29. A thousand hands that pull me back down to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for violence & a non-descriptive near-drowning
> 
> 3 chapters left after this

"Skylor?" Morro calls out as he walks. "Skylor?"

No response. He didn't really expect one. Morro keeps walking, looking around for any signs of where she might've gone. He doesn't see any. Did she even go in this direction? How is he supposed to know?

He doesn't feel angry still, or sad, or anything. He just feels numb, like a machine that's stopped functioning. All he can think to do is walk, not knowing if it would be better if he does or doesn't find Skylor. Morro stops calling her name and keeps walking.

Looking up at the sky, he sees Borg Tower, lit up in the distance. It's very far away. Morro isn't sure how long he stands there staring at it, wondering when it became home, wondering if it _should_ be his home, wondering if he deserves any of what he's been given.

It's long enough for Nova to approach him without Morro noticing.

"Oh, shut up," she snaps when he screams after she grabs his arm. "You know this is inevitable. You're better off accepting your fate so you can face her with dignity."

Morro grabs his phone out of his pocket and holds it away from Nova as she tries to take it from him, cursing the number of apps as he tries to find the right contact –

He fumbles and drops the phone just as the call goes through. Morro can't hear if the person on the other end even picked up – "Help!" he shouts as Nova pulls him away. "Help me! Please!"

"Stop fighting!" Nova shouts. She's dragging him into a dark alley, and she's _strong,_ and Morro can't get away from her. He keeps screaming, pleading for someone, anyone to help him, raising his voice above the incantation Nova recites –

His screams die in his throat when the portal opens.

Nova pulls his arms behind his back and forces him to face it. Morro can't move, can't struggle, can barely breathe as he watches a writhing green shape emerge, twisting and stabilizing its form, until Morro meets the narrowed eyes of the Cursed Realm's Chain Master.

Wrayth summons his chain and lets it clatter to the ground, shrugging his shoulders and stretching his neck. "So," he rasps with a damaged voice. "You're alive."

Morro grits his teeth and hardens his face. "Not by choice," he says, miraculously managing to keep his voice steady.

"Not by choice, he says." Wrayth moves closer, hovering a few inches off the ground. "And yet you fight so hard when she tries to take you back. Why is that?"

Morro's mouth twitches. He doesn't answer.

"I think I know why." The ghostly chain drags along the ground. "You're afraid. You're afraid of the consequences of failure. You want things you can't have. A _life._ A _family._ You don't want to go back, do you?"

Morro says nothing.

"And to think I once took orders from you."

He hears Nova take a deep breath. "We had a deal," she says. "I bring him back to you alive, and the curse on my soul is lifted. Was that not what we agreed upon?"

"Of course," Wrayth says. "That sounds right. However…"

Wrayth advances ever closer. Morro feels Nova's grip tighten on him, and she pulls him a step back.

"She doesn't want him just because he's a traitor." Wrayth gestures at Morro with one hand. "She needs those who have been brought back through the Temple of Resurrection. You see?"

Nova tenses. "We had an agreement. I won't give him to you if –"

Wrayth whips the chain up and it wraps around them both. Nova screams, twisting and dragging her feet as Wrayth pulls them towards the portal. Morro can feel his own heartbeat increase its pace, his breaths coming out in gasps as the chain digs into his side.

"You don't have a choice in the matter," Wrayth says. "She needs all the energy she can get." He laughs, hovering just above the portal. "Welcome home, Morro!"

He pulls hard on the chain, and Nova and Morro fall into the portal together.

* * *

"What's Ronin doing here?" Nya asks.

Ronin shrugs. "Was in the area. Kai said you could use my help."

"He was the last person Morro called," Kai says. "Not that he has any real help for us."

"I told you, all I heard was him calling for help." Ronin pauses. "That and screaming, at the end. Then there wasn't anything until Kai here picked up his phone."

Skylor finds herself wandering away, towards an alley. "What's down here?" she asks.

"Dead end," Kai says. "Already checked. There isn't even signs of a struggle, like – God, I would've expected him to at least try and use his powers. All I found was this." He holds up a golden locket, dangling from a broken chain. "Haven't been able to open it. Dunno what it means."

There's something off about the atmosphere. Skylor runs her hands along the wall, looks around at the fenced off alley. There's something on the pavement, a dark circle that almost looks scorched. Skylor stares at it for a long moment until she realizes what it reminds her of.

"No," she whispers. "No, no, God, no –"

"Skylor?" Nya calls out. "Are you okay?"

Skylor staggers backwards, the world spinning around her. Nya catches her just before she falls, staring at that burned circle in the ground.

"He's gone," she says. "He's gone."

"We'll find him, Skylor, we can –"

"I know what happened here," Skylor interrupts. "I've seen Clouse do it. There was a portal to the Cursed Realm here. Morro's _gone._ "

Ronin sucks in a sharp breath. Skylor sobs in Nya's arms. Kai doesn't know what to do. "Shit," he says. "I guess… shit. We need to tell his – we need to tell Borg."

Nya and Skylor can't do it. He's not going to ask Ronin. Kai ends up making the call to Borg.

* * *

It's dark. Cold is clinging to him, weighing him down. He struggles, flailing his arms and legs, but it's so cold, it's so dark, it's so heavy –

Morro opens his mouth to scream.

* * *

He's not working when he gets the call. It's around the time Cyrus would normally go to bed, actually, but he wanted to stay up to make sure Morro got home safe.

Now his blood is running cold, his hand is shaking, he can barely process what Kai is telling him. "Skylor said there was a portal to the Cursed Realm," Kai is saying, "and I… God, I don't have any reason to _not_ believe her. I… I'm sorry, man."

This can't be real. This can't be happening. Cyrus can't speak, can't breathe, can only sit there with the phone held against his head.

"Are you there?"

He has to do something. He has to take action. There's no God out there to help them. No higher power to reach down from above and save them. Cyrus swallows hard.

"All of you meet me at the tower," he says. "Now."

* * *

He's pulled out of the water choking and gasping. He can hear someone else sobbing beside him, but his vision is too blurry to see them. Morro blinks rapidly as his lungs struggle to take a full breath.

_traitor_

_traitor_

_traitor_

_traitor_

Cold hands grab at him, pulling him onto damp ground. It feels soft and taut, like cloth stretched almost to tear. Someone is screaming. Morro doesn't know if it's him.

_traitor, failure_

_your fault, your fault, your fault_

_stay with us_

_suffer with us_

_you belong here_

His vision isn't clearing. It only seems to grow darker. Morro desperately clings to consciousness even as it slips out of his grasp.

* * *

"You've been doing _what?!_ " Skylor yells. The group has gathered in the office he and Morro did their work in, as Cyrus rummages through the file cabinet of the spells and runes they've printed out.

"I had been studying ways to lift the curse on Morro's soul," Cyrus says, not looking up. "It's required me to pick up, ah, certain skills. I'd rather not go into detail about it."

Skylor looks like she's going to throw up. There are still tears staining her face. Nya puts a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm surprised you two don't know," Cyrus remarks, with a brief glance at Kai and Nya. "Pixal's last call to me – well. She told me she would tell the others."

They glance at each other. "Zane has been acting weird lately," Nya says.

Kai wrings his hands. "Look," he says. "I know this whole situation is awful and terrible – but what can we do? If he's in the Cursed Realm – he's _dead._ There's no saving him. What can we do?"

"That Nova chick said she wanted him alive," Ronin says, leaning against the wall.

Cyrus snaps his head up to look at him. "She said _what?_ "

Ronin shrugs. "The other day. I heard her say she wants him alive." He pauses. "'She' meaning – well, not Nova, obviously."

"So he could be –"

Kai interrupts him before he can continue. "Even if he's alive," he says, "we can't do anything! What are we supposed to do? Get a submarine down to that trench and pick him out of the Cursed Realm?" He pauses. "That's not supposed to give anyone ideas, by the way, because it _wouldn't work_ –"

"Oh, no," Cyrus says. "I was going to open a portal to the Cursed Realm directly."

Skylor claps her hands over her mouth. Kai and Nya stare at him in horror.

"I'm out," Ronin says, and he walks out of the room.

Cyrus grits his teeth and turns his wheelchair away from them. "Don't look at me like that," he snaps. "Do you expect me to give up? To do nothing? I can't accept that." He takes a deep breath. "But I won't force you to come with me," he says. "This is, of course, extremely risky. If I must go alone –"

"God, no," Nya says. "I'm coming with you."

Kai looks at her in alarm. "Sis –"

"The Cursed Realm is underwater, right? I'm the Water Ninja. I should at least be able to make sure we don't drown."

Kai sucks in air between his teeth. "Well, I'll go too, then. I mean. Sure, I can't swim very well, and sure, fire will probably be completely useless… but…"

Skylor clears her throat. "I'll go," she says. "Morro still owes me an apology."

Cyrus stares at them, then smiles.

"I'm not going," Ronin calls from outside the room. "You're all gonna die."

Nya rolls her eyes. "Before we go," she says, "there's something I want to do. We need to prepare if we're going to do this. We need more help."

"We gonna tell Wu and the rest?" Kai asks.

"No. There's someone else. Can I see the locket you found?"

* * *

He doesn't expect to wake up again. Not alive.

But here he is, his body still breathing, his pulse pounding in his ears. Morro blinks, slowly, opens his eyes, tries to move his body. There's something wrapped around him, keeping his arms pinned to his side, binding his legs together. His lungs ache, and it's an effort just to breathe. He sees foggy green shapes gathered in front of him, on a dark island surrounded by water. Morro instinctively leans his weight away.

"Look who's awake!" a voice hisses.

A hand grabs his chin, forcing him to look in Bansha's eyes. Morro squeezes his eyes shut.

"How pathetic," she says, her voice hoarse. A chorus of scratchy agreements follows.

He can hear sobbing again. Bansha lets go of him, and Morro turns his head and squints in the darkness to see Nova, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling with open-mouthed sobs. A dark teal-blue tentacle is wrapped around her, same as the one restraining him. There's a third tentacle in the darkness, wrapped around something, but Morro can't see who or what it is.

Something in Morro's mind stops working, refuses to process his situation.

"And you were her lieutenant, once!" Bansha laughs, a wheezing, breathless laugh. "What are you now? Just a sad little boy."

Morro closes his eyes again.

He wants to go home.

He wants to go home.

Maybe he'll wake up there again, on the hundredth floor of Borg Tower, and he'll get out of bed and go have breakfast and none of this will have happened. Each breath feels like knives in his chest. Morro wants nothing more than to sit in the office with Borg, to have lunch with Skylor, to do work for Ronin – he'd even take seeing the ninja again, because at least it would mean he wasn't _here._

Something prods at his mind.

Nova's sobs turn to screams.

" _No!_ " she screeches. "Leave me alone! Let me go! You promised! You promised! You lied to me!"

The presence doesn't laugh. It only feels a gentle amusement. Oh, did she promise? Did she lie? She said she would let lift the curse on Nova's soul, and she did. Nova's soul will go to the Departed Realm at death. Until then, Nova will remain alive, here, for a long, long time.

"Let me go! Let me _go!_ Please! Please! I did everything you asked of me! _Please!_ "

The promise has been fulfilled. She owes Nova nothing more.

The ghosts are chattering among themselves, laughing, all their voices scratchy and rough. Morro opens his eyes. There aren't many of them; not even two dozen, compared to the hundreds of souls that must still be trapped here.

Morro takes a slow breath.

"Why?" he asks.

The ghosts go quiet and turn towards him.

Her tendril shifts, squeezes him until a strangled noise escapes him and he struggles to breathe. Her rage surrounds him, overwhelms him – he has nothing to say. He is nothing. He could have had the world, once. She promised him power beyond what he could ever have imagined. All sixteen realms, under his command – and what did he do?

He _failed._

He failed miserably, and then he fled from the consequences. A coward. A traitor. And now he wants to know _why?_

Because this is what he deserves.

Morro tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Her grip only tightens – Morro can taste blood in the back of his throat. His body is wracked with pain. He's going to die, Morro realizes. He's going to die and he will _still be here,_ trapped in the Cursed Realm as a ghost, no way to escape, wailing underwater as he reaches for the light, the surface so far away, beyond his grasp –

Darkness eats at his vision, and –

* * *

Terra doesn't answer the door at first, despite all of Nya's knocking. "Come on!" Nya shouts. "I don't believe you when you say you haven't had any contact with Nova! You must know something! Where is she?!"

"Leave me alone!"

Nya groans and takes out the locket. "Can you at least tell me what this is?" she says, pulling it out of her pocket. "We found it where Morro was kidnapped. We don't know if Nova did it, but –"

Abruptly, Terra opens the door, snatches the locket out of her hand, and slams the door shut.

"Hey!" Nya twists the doorknob, but it's already locked again. "I didn't say you could have it! Give it back!"

"This doesn't belong to you! It's Nova's!"

"So she did kidnap Morro! What else do you know?!"

Terra opens the door as Nya is pushing on it, sending her off-balance and causing her to stumble forward before regaining her footing.

"I know that something very bad happened if Nova left this behind," Terra says quietly.

"Yeah, she kidnapped a kid and sent him to –"

"Not that," Terra snaps. "I mean something bad happened to Nova! She would never just _lose_ this! If it's true, that you just found it –" Her voice catches in her throat and she can't speak for a moment. "– shit. Fine. You're right, I have had contact with her."

"Great! What else do you know?"

Terra steps out of her apartment and closes the door behind her, clutching the locket in a trembling hand. "I'm coming with you."

Nya blinks. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm coming with you, because Nova's in trouble, and I don't trust you to help her without me."

"How do you know we're going anywhere?"

Terra snorts. "Because you ninja are a bunch of stupid kids who do stupid things. You want to find the Cursed Realm, right? I know where it is, and it's not in the trench. I can take you there."

"We were going to open a portal –"

"Oh my God. No. You'll be killed. You really need my help." Terra lowers her glasses and glares at her. "Where are your friends?"

* * *

– energy courses through him, his broken body knitting itself back together. Morro's eyes snap open, he sucks in a breath of air, his body twitches, still wrapped in her tentacle. He feels the slimy flesh shifting around him, and a sharp pain erupts in his shoulder, like he's been stabbed by a hundred tiny knives. Morro can't suppress a scream. He can hear the ghosts laughing as he writhes in pain, can feel her amusement as the energy is sucked out of him, can smell blood and iron and saltwater –

It stops.

Morro goes limp, gasping. Bansha grabs his chin again, and he stares at her with wide eyes.

"The power of resurrection," she says. "Through those who have been brought back by the Temple, we have created a conduit for that power, giving it all to her. Soon, she will be back to her former glory. Soon, we can succeed where you failed, and all sixteen realms will be under her curse." Bansha laughs. "Aren't you happy, Morro? You should be smiling, too! You can still be useful to her."

Morro closes his eyes.

"Pathetic," Bansha says, and she drops him. "Don't think you have any hope. Who would come to help you? Who would want to save you? Even if they tried – she's never going to let you go."

And the worst part is, Morro _knows_ that someone will look for him – more than one someone, maybe, if Skylor doesn't hate him after what he said. He prays Borg will fail. That the ninja will stop him. That he'll never reach the Cursed Realm, that he'll give up and stop wasting all this energy on a half-dead boy who isn't worth saving.

Tears are threatening behind his closed eyes.

He can hear Nova sobbing, still.

He's going to be here for a long, long time.


	30. Save yourself a penny for the ferryman!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD WHAT DO I WARN FOR HERE im really out of it sorry. violence, ghosts being creeps… that's probably it?? proceed with caution.
> 
> this chapter is 4000 words long AFTER I split it in half bc it would've been LONGER if I fit everything else I wanted to fit in it. so uhhhh we actually got 3 more chapters after this bc I split this one in half. we end at 33 chapters. unless I split another chapter in half but I think we're good.

"A portal would be faster –" Borg argues.

"A portal will get you killed!" Terra fires back. "They'll see you coming, and you'll die and be trapped there forever. The Cursed Realm is by Stiix. It's underwater, still, but it's reachable by one of the caves. I know which one."

"But if we're too late –"

"We're not going to be too late," Nya says. "I mean – if Morro was going to be killed, they would've done it as soon as possible, right?"

"We can probably get there faster if we take our dragons," Kai says. "And not have to deal with the train schedules. So, uh, I guess we should go? Unless anyone has any better ideas they want to share."

Skylor is sitting on a chair, flipping through one of the three-ring binders on the desk. Scribbled over the printouts are notes in two different handwritings – one small and neat, though sometimes it's so small Skylor can't make out the words; the other a tall, messy scrawl that somehow manages to be perfectly legible. She's seen some of the runes in the printouts before, in Clouse's spellbook. The thought makes her shudder.

Morro was right about one thing. Her father is in the Cursed Realm. Skylor could very well encounter him there.

She takes a deep breath.

"Skylor?" Nya asks. "Are you alright?"

Skylor looks up at her and manages a smile. "I'm okay," she says. "This night has just been a lot."

"Well, it's gonna be a lot more before the morning."

"I know."

"By dragon, then," Borg says. "We should go."

Terra raises an eyebrow. "You're not coming with us, are you?"

"Of course I am!" he says, glaring at her. "Do you expect me to sit here and twiddle my thumbs?"

"I'm just saying, a bunch of caves out by Stiix aren't exactly wheelchair accessible."

"I'll manage," Borg says. Terra rolls her eyes and lets the subject drop.

They go to the roof. Kai and Nya summon their dragons, and they swiftly organize themselves; Terra gets on with Kai, and Skylor helps Borg climb onto Nya dragon before getting on herself.

"Are we all ready?" Nya says, while her dragon picks up Borg's wheelchair. The others voice their affirmations, and the dragons take off.

* * *

Stiix is quiet. The only sound is the crashing of waves on the shore. Kai and Nya land their dragons in the sand and make sure everyone's safely disembarked before dispelling them.

"Which way is this cave?" Borg asks before he's even gotten back into his wheelchair.

Terra walks a few steps forwards and frowns. "Give me a moment. I need to orient myself."

"The longer we stay here –"

"My friend is there, too!" Terra snaps. "But we can't help either of them if we go into the wrong cave! I just need time."

Skylor helps Borg into his wheelchair and watches Terra through narrowed eyes. Kai pulls Nya aside to whisper to her; Skylor is close enough to overhear, but she's not the one Kai is trying to hide from.

"We can't trust her," he hisses. "She's got her own agenda. For all we know, she's gonna lead us into a trap!"

"She cares about Nova," Nya whispers back. "And she's just one person against all of us. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have any powers we can't handle."

"But –"

"We'll be cautious. I don't trust her either."

Borg struggles to move his wheelchair through the sand. "Should've brought a different one," he mutters. "This is going to be awful to clean."

"I know where we are!" Terra calls. "The cave is down here. It's high tide, so part of it is going to be flooded. Mouth should be above the tide line, though."

She points down the shore, close by the cliffs. In some place, the waves are crashing right up against the rocks. Borg swears under his breath. Skylor glances at Kai and Nya before helping Borg move as all four of them follow Terra.

* * *

Terra almost doesn't recognize the cave with the entrance caved in. "Hey," Kai says, "isn't this the cave Cole and Jay got trapped in? At least they left a way to get in, since they had to dig their way out."

"It's a bit of a climb," Nya says, squinting up at the small opening in the top of the rubble. "And, uh, I don't think the wheelchair is going to fit."

"I'm not staying out here," Borg says. "I'll crawl if I damn well have to."

"Can we make it bigger?" Skylor asks. "I mean…"

"It's a cave," Terra says. "We're going to encounter a problem sooner or later."

Borg sighs. "She's right," he says. "But I – you have to understand. I can't wait out here. I have to –" He grips the wheels in trembling hands. "– I have to be there. I can't…"

He trails off. "It's fine," Skylor says. "I'll carry you."

They leave the wheelchair in the rocks, hopefully far enough from the water that even the biggest waves won't get it wet. Skylor hoists Borg on her back; he's not light, but she's strong enough that carrying him shouldn't be a problem. "We're ready," she says to Kai and Nya, then frowns. "Borg, are you –"

"I'm ready," Borg says. "Let's get going."

* * *

The cave is dark. Kai lights a flame in his hand, illuminating the surroundings. The walls are damp, and the echo of the waves seems much louder than before. Terra gestures wordlessly further into the cave, and Skylor makes sure Borg has a good grip on her before she follows.

The cave ends at a pool of water.

"I've never been farther than this," Terra says. "The good news is, even with high tide, it shouldn't be a long swim. The bad news is it's a swim."

"So we're going through an underwater tunnel," Kai says. "Man! I did not sign up for this."

"You can go home," Terra says.

"Yeah, no."

Nya goes to the edge of the water and dips her hand into it. "Well, there's definitely a surface on the other side," she says. "Can't really tell how much air there is, but… hm. We'll probably only have to hold our breath for thirty seconds, at most?"

"Assuming we're all good swimmers," Kai says. "Which I am not."

"I'm accounting for you, Kai. You'll be fine."

Skylor hears Borg take a few deep breaths. "What's on the other side?" he asks.

"The Cursed Realm," Terra says. "At least, where it ended up. Nova told me it dragged itself from the trench to here, where it got stuck. This entrance is too small. It can't go back, for whatever reason. So now it's here."

Nya and Kai look at each other in horror. "How?" Nya says. "The Preeminent, she's – she's dead, isn't she? I thought – I thought I killed her!"

"If the Cursed Realm was destroyed, every soul in it's possession would have gone to the Departed Realm, regardless of their curse," Terra says. "I don't know what, and neither does Nova – but something has been channeling energy into it, keeping it alive for… over a year, now." She shrugs. "Something – or someone – isn't willing to let it die."

"We should probably have a plan or something before we dive in," Kai says. "Any ideas?"

Silence descends on them. They all look at each other, their faces illuminated in the flickering light of Kai's fire.

"We're so dead," he says.

"I have a plan," Nya says. "I mean, it might not be a good one, but – okay, everyone listen…"

* * *

"When do we kill him again?" Bansha says. "I want to see him squirm."

The Soul Archer shakes his head. "Be patient. The spell can't be repeated so soon, and that one –" He gestures at the third tentacle, the person underneath completely hidden. "– could die at any moment. We cannot drain unlimited power from the Temple. There are plenty of ways to make him _squirm,_ as you say, without killing him."

"We have our orders!" Wrayth says loudly. "We do not harm any of them until it's time for the spell to be repeated."

"Shut up," Bansha snarls. "I am only going to speak to him."

Morro keeps his eyes closed and his head down as Bansha approaches. "Look at me," she hisses, and once again she grabs his head and forces him to face her. "Are you such a coward that you cannot even face us? Is that why you left us, Morro? Why you left her? Isn't she the only one who ever saw anything in you?"

Borg saw a future in him. He was wrong.

"I despise you," Bansha says. "How can you think yourself deserving of a life? You belong here, suffering with the rest of us. It's your fault we're here, after all. All of this –"

The _splash_ interrupts her. The ghosts start to shout. Bansha lets go of Morro and he blinks his eyes open, trying to make out the foggy shapes in the darkness.

"Who is –"

"What is she –"

"Water Ninja –"

"Kill her – !"

The water swells, a wave rising up, dissolving the ghosts as it touches them. There's nowhere for them to run – the water fills the entire cavern, submerging Morro for a few moments before receding, leaving Nya standing in front of him and Nova, the area now empty of ghosts.

"Huh," she says, wringing the water out of her hair. "That was easier than I thought it would be."

Morro opens his mouth to speak – but it's as if a dam has broken and the only sounds that come out are sobs, tears falling freely down his face. He can't look Nya in the eyes as he wails, all the pain and despair he struggled to contain coming out in a flood.

By the time he's regained enough composure to look up, Nya is at his side, tugging on the tentacle wrapped around him.

"She'll feel you – " Morro tries to say, but there's no presence in the back of his mind, no sign that the Preeminent has noticed Nya, even though there's no way she wouldn't have.

"Kai and Skylor are distracting her outside," Nya says. "I mean, hopefully. We didn't spend a lot of time thinking of a plan." She manages to unwrap one loop of the Preeminent's tentacle. "Let's hurry. I told Skylor to follow me in if I didn't come back in ten minutes, but –"

"They're coming back!" Nova yells.

Behind Nya, a green mist is rising from the water, coalescing into unstable figures, twisting in the air. Nya lets go of the tentacle and it snaps back around Morro, tighter than before. Turning around, she raises her hands, and the water rises with her and engulfs the ghosts before their incorporeal bodies can reform.

"Why are they coming back?" she shouts. "Why are they still here in the first place? I thought water destroyed them!"

"We –" Morro catches himself. "They get their power from the Cursed Realm," he says, his voice weak. "Water destroys ghosts and sends them back to the source of their power – _here._ "

He remembers trying to escape, trying to claw his way to the surface – whenever he got too far away from her, his form dissolved and he was back with all the rest, trapped at the bottom of the ocean, the water keeping him in perpetual agony –

He's crying again, and he screws up his face, trying to will his tears away. A whimper escapes him. Morro's cheeks burn with shame. He can hear the ghosts taunting him – pathetic, coward, traitor, too weak to face the consequences of his failure.

"Well," Nya says, "I can keep this up for a damn long time! Skylor will be here soon, she'll be able to get you out while I keep these guys under control."

Distorted wailing fills the room, ghostly green hands reach out from the water. Nya growls under her breath and agitates the wave, the ripples disturbing the ghosts and preventing them from reforming. "It's got to have been five minutes, at least," she says. "Only five more!"

* * *

The Preeminent writhes, her tentacles flailing in the air and dragging across the cave floor, through the shallow water. Cyrus flinches as he's hit by the edge of a splash. Though she's half-submerged in the water, her body trapped between in the walls of the cave and unable to move forward, the Preeminent is _huge,_ and looking at her makes Cyrus' head hurt.  He glances at the portal next to him, but there's no sign of Nya returning.

"How long has it been?!" Skylor yells.

Cyrus checks his watch; waterproof, thankfully, at least enough to survive a brief underwater swim. "Four minutes!" he shouts, just as the Preeminent screeches, the sound drowning out his voice.

" _What?_ " Kai grabs a tentacle as it whips over his head, the flesh sizzling as he heats it with his powers. "I didn't catch that!"

"He said four minutes!" Terra calls out.

"Closer to five now, actually –"

Terra looks down at him. "Do you need to move?"

"I'm fine," he says, checking his watch again. Five minutes. Nya said to wait for ten.

Skylor jumps over a tentacle and sends ice shooting at it, freezing it in place. "Careful with your powers, Kai –"

"I know! I'm not gonna light a fire in a space like this! We'll run out of air in seconds!"

"It'll take longer than that," Terra mumbles. She raises her voice. "What are we supposed to do, again?"

"Keep the portal open, stay back and get help if everything goes to shit!" comes Kai's response.

It hasn't even been six minutes yet. He forces himself to look back up at the action. The Preeminent's single eye lands on him, meets his gaze – only for a moment, but it's enough for terror to freeze Cyrus in place, unable to tear his eyes away even as the Preeminent ignores him in favor of Kai and Skylor.

"I'm going in!" Skylor shouts. "I don't care how long it's been! I'm not waiting any longer!"

"Skylor, wait –" Kai dodges as the Preeminent attempts to grab him. "I'm not sure I can hold her off by myself!"

"You just need to distract her long enough for us to get back!" Skylor rushes back to Cyrus and the portal. The watch says eight minutes have passed. "Keep fighting, Kai!"

She jumps into the portal.

Cyrus can feel the portal shudder, can feel the energy draining from him – he takes a deep breath and holds the portal open. He can't afford to betray any weakness, not when his own power is the only thing keeping the portal open for this long. Magic has a price, after all.

All he can hope is that the price isn't too high to pay.

* * *

Skylor bursts out of the wave of water and lands on her side, gasping. She rolls away from the water and scrambles to her feet.

Nya yelps in surprise. "Skylor! You're here! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Keep doing whatever you're doing!"

Skylor's eyes fall on Morro. He shudders and looks away.

"Oh my God –" Skylor rushes to him, puts a hand on his cheek. She feels warm and gentle, not like Bansha's cold, hard grip. "Are you okay? What did they do to you? Morro –"

"I'm sorry," Morro mumbles.

"No, no, Morro –"

"I'm a terrible friend. I'm sorry, Skylor."

"Morro, please –" Skylor inhales sharply. "Not now. Apologize once we're out of here, okay? Don't – don't do this, not now."

Morro closes his eyes.

"We're getting you out of here." Skylor pulls at the tentacle. It shifts and squeezes, making Morro gasp. "Shit – hang on –"

She crouches down and grabs at the base of the tentacle, where it melds into the rest of the realm, and _pulls_ – hard enough to rip it out, and Morro falls to the ground. His body aches, and her tendril is still thrashing around him like a severed lizard tail. Skylor pulls it off him and throws it into the water, where it disintegrates.

The Cursed Realm trembles with the sound of the Preeminent's scream. The wailing from the drowned ghosts only gets louder.

Skylor falls on her knees next to him. "Morro, Morro – get up, please! Can you walk? We need to –"

Nova screams. "Please! Help me! Don't leave me here, oh God –"

"Dammit!" Skylor gets back to her feet. "Nya, make sure –"

"I've got it!" Nya shouts, her eyes still fixed on the wave she's holding up. "Hurry, Skylor!"

His legs tremble when he tries to stand. Morro can barely keep himself upright. His head is spinning, and there's blood all down his front. He manages, somehow, and looks towards the last person, the one wrapped so thoroughly he can't see if there even is a person under the tentacle.

Wordlessly, he takes step after shaky step towards them.

The Preeminent screams again. Skylor must have freed Nova. "Where are you going?!" he hears her shout, and he looks back to see her pulling Nova to her feet. "Morro –"

"There's –" He coughs hard, starts again. "There's someone else here," he says. "Someone else who was resurrected through the Temple. I don't know who –"

Skylor drops Nova and runs over. For the third time, she digs her fingers into the base of the tentacle. For the third time, the Preeminent screams in agony. For the third time, someone is dropped to the soft, fleshy ground, and as Skylor pulls the writhing tentacle off them, she and Morro both see clearly who else has been trapped here.

"Oh my God!" Skylor yelps, and she crouches next to the figure, a gray-haired old man with bloody, crescent-shaped marks all over his body, pressing her finger to his neck. "Oh, thank goodness – hello? Are you – oh my God, oh my God –"

"Who is it?" Nya shouts without looking back.

"It's Lloyd's dad! It's Garmadon!"

" _What?!_ " she shrieks, and the wave of water ripples and nearly collapses before she regains control.

In that moment, a ghost breaks free of the water, his form stabilizing. The Soul Archer shudders and wavers before dodging a jet of water from Nya.

"This ends now," he rasps, and nocks an arrow to his bow. Nya looks up just as he draws back and lets go.

The arrow is blown away, landing harmlessly in the wall of the realm. Morro takes a deep breath and prepares his wind powers again, aiming his hands at the Soul Archer and blowing him back into the water. The Soul Archer screams as his form dissolves. Morro winces at the sound.

Nova has managed to get to her feet and is hobbling over. "How do we get out of here?" she asks, her voice shaking.

Nya shakes her head. "There's a portal," she says. "If we're all ready, it's – it's in the water, we didn't have a lot of control over where it –"

Another scream pierces through the realm, unmistakably human. Morro doesn't recognize it at first, but –

" _Kai!_ "

The wave collapses. Kai falls into the water and doesn't resurface. Nya reaches out and pulls, her hands gripping the air – the water deposits Kai in front of her, coughing and sucking in air. Nya pulls him the rest of the way onto the tiny island and helps him to his feet.

"What happened?!" she yells at him. "Are the others okay?"

"Oh my God is that _Garmadon_ –"

"Kai! The others!"

Kai manages to tear his eyes away from Garmadon's unconscious body. "I'm sorry! I couldn't hold her back! They know the plan, they'll go get help –"

Morro had hope, for a moment. He thought he could escape.

She almost finds the idea funny.

Her tendrils burst from the ground, wrapping around Morro's legs and yanking him upside down into the air. Nova is screaming again. Morro can see Skylor yelling and struggling in the Preeminent's grip – Garmadon is picked up gently, almost cradled as the tentacle wraps around him, hiding him from view again.

The ghosts are reforming, hissing and laughing and closing in around them. Morro's eyes dart from side to side – Kai's hands are set alight, standing protectively in front of Nya and warding off the tentacles with bursts of fire. Nya is calling up a wave again, flooding the room, but the ghosts cluster around Morro, Nova, and Skylor, where the wave doesn't reach.

"So," the Soul Archer rasps. "You really have proven yourself useful, traitor. You've given us all this new blood."

"No," Morro chokes out, the blood rushing to his head as he's held upside down, but anything else he has to say is torn from him as the Soul Archer turns his bow to Skylor.

Bansha grabs his arm. "You fool!" she hisses. "Keep them alive."

"Why?"

"Once possessed, a living body can pass through water – we could get out of this hole!" Bansha turns to Kai and Nya. "You said there were others?"

Nya hits her with a jet of water. Bansha reforms mere moments later and laughs, the few remaining ghosts joining in.

"It won't work," Morro says. The tentacle holding him jerks to the side, disorienting him – he forces himself to continue. "They'll – they'll fight you! You won't –"

"Defiant, are we?" Wrayth says right beside his ear – Morro flinches away from him. "They can't fight forever. They'll tire, just as the Green Ninja did – am I right, Morro?"

Morro sends a gust of wind right in Wrayth's face, and the Preeminent slams him into the wall for his trouble. Morro gasps in pain as his vision wavers.

"I want her," Bansha says, pointing at Nya.

"Then I'll take her brother," the Soul Archer says.

Kai and Nya step closer together, Kai's flames burning brighter.

"Well, I'll take _her,_ " Wrayth says, and he approaches Skylor, who glares at him and tries to wrench her arms out of the Preeminent's grip. "Because I can possess her _now,_ while you still have to restrain those two."

Morro tries to use his powers again – a tentacle grabs his arms and yanks it backwards, sending pain shooting through his shoulder. He screams, can hear Nya shouting Skylor's name – the water floods the room, but only for an instant before one of the Preeminent's many arms wraps around Nya's neck. Kai and Skylor both start yelling, and all Morro can think is _this is his fault._

Wrayth reaches for Skylor –

" _Get away from her!_ "

– and a bolt of dark energy strikes him, knocking him back with a hiss.

Morro locks eyes with the last person he wanted to see in this place.

Borg is held up by Terra, his left hand lit up with a purple glow. His glasses are askew and he looks terrified – this doesn't stop him from raising his hand again, pointing at the tentacle holding Nya – with a _zzt_ that makes Borg wince, another bolt of purple strikes the tentacle, the Preeminent screeches, and Nya falls back onto the ground, clutching her throat.

"You were supposed to get help!" Nya yells once she's able to speak.

"I'm not _useless_ –" Borg snaps.

"That's not what I mean! _Nobody else knows we're here!_ "

All the ghosts – except for Wrayth, who is holding his hand to his chest and grimacing – start cackling. Borg sends another bolt at random into the cluster, and they scatter.

"These are the ones who are supposed to rescue you?" Bansha grins. "An amateur magician who can't even _walk_ – and it looks as if _you_ have no powers at all!"

"Terra!" Nova screams – Morro had forgotten about her, she had gone so silent, but there she is, leaning forward in the Preeminent's grip, eyes wide in horror.

Another bolt of energy strikes the tentacle holding him and Morro is dropped. When he tries to move his left arm, his shoulder screams in pain – or maybe that's his own voice screaming. He shuts his mouth and pushes himself up with the right arm, his head spinning. He doesn't notice when Skylor is freed at first until she's at his side and helping him stand.

"We need to get Garmadon, too!" Kai shouts, pointing at the mass of tentacles hiding him from view.

"I'm sorry," Borg says in alarm, "we need to get _who_ –"

Morro's ears buzz with static, and he can't hear Kai's response. Her amusement fills his skull.

So these are his friends? They're certainly willing to fight for him. How far are they willing to go?

Morro chokes back a sob. Skylor is holding him, trying to say something to him.

The Preeminent whispers –

Are they willing to die for him?

Morro has a horrible feeling that he's about to find out.


	31. Hold yourself beneath the brine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings! more violence! another near-drowning experience! also I lied when I said there was gonna be 33 chapters because guess how many chapters are left after this? one! a single chapter! I can't believe I'm actually finishing this thing!
> 
> so uhhh shorter chapter than last chapter. idk what else to say.

Morro isn't responding to her, his body trembling as Skylor holds him up and shouts at him – "Morro, we need to move! Morro, Morro – _please_ –"

"Skylor, look out!"

Skylor looks up at Nya's cry and calls upon another of her borrowed elemental powers, hardening her arm into metal and raising it to block Bansha's blade. Bansha snarls and backs up. "You can't fight forever," she says. "This is not your realm! You'll tire. You'll falter. You'll succumb to us. There's no way out."

Their group is split apart; there are ghosts between Skylor and Morro, Nya and Kai, and Terra and Borg. Terra and Borg are arguing with each other about who to rescue first – "Garmadon is in worse shape –" "I only came with you for Nova!" – and are making no progress in either direction. Nya and Kai are struggling to fight off the Preeminent and her ghosts both; they must be trying to distract Nya so she doesn't flood the room again, Skylor realizes. Morro's eyes are wide, his lips parted as he sucks in fast, shallow breaths, and Skylor can't leave him when he's not doing anything to defend himself –

Skylor doesn't know what to do.

She goes through all her elemental powers in rapid succession. Fire? Ice? Lightning? Good to ward them off, but they don't have any lasting effects on ghosts. Earth? Nature? Useless here, inside the guts of the Preeminent. Form? Mind? Light? All useless. Poison? Might be worth a shot, but she'd have to be careful not to poison any of her friends. Metal – ?

Bansha strikes at her with enough force to cut a notch in her metal arm. Skylor yelps and jerks her arm away, reverting it back to flesh and grimacing at the blood. She adjusts her grip on Morro and raises her hand, summoning wind to blow Bansha backwards.

"You two –" she points at Terra and Borg, blood running down her arm. "Go rescue Nova! Nya, Kai – we're getting Garmadon!"

"We're a little tied up here!" Kai says, sending more flames at the Preeminent's tentacles while Nya shoots water at the ghosts. "Borg, is there anything you can do to these guys to scatter or something?"

"This is about my limit!" Borg says, his voice shaking. "I wasn't even sure I could do this!"

"Well, I'm glad you did, otherwise we'd be really, really dead right now!" He claps his hands around a tentacle that got too close. "I mean, we might still be, but –"

"Hang on, Kai –" Skylor glances down at Morro. "We're coming!"

Skylor opens her mouth and screams, the elemental power of sound knocking all the ghosts back a few feet and giving her enough time to put an arm under Morro's shoulders and drag him towards Nya and Kai. "Come on!" she yells at him. "Walk! Move! We need to get out of here! Nya, give us another flood!"

Nya nods. "Kai –"

"I'll cover you, sis!"

Nya steps forward and raises her hands towards the ceiling. Water lifts up and surrounds the ghosts, engulfing them – Nya's arms are trembling; elemental powers aren't effortless, after all. Skylor closes her eyes for a moment to call upon ice, trapping the ghosts in a frozen prison.

"That should buy us time," she says. "Kai, you –"

The Preeminent screeches, the sound reverberating through the realm. Morro gasps and squeezes his eyes shut, putting one hand to his head.

"No," he whispers, "no, no, no –"

Skylor's breath catches in her throat. "Morro, what's happening?!"

"We need help!"

The ghosts are temporarily taken care of – there are tentacles slamming on the sides of the ice, barely chipping away at it – but there's still the Preeminent herself. With Nova now freed, Terra is struggling to support her and carry Borg at the same time, while Borg is barely keeping the tentacles at bay with whatever spell he's casting. Skylor adjusts her grip on Morro and –

Nya grabs her shoulder. "Wait," she says. "Skylor, I –"

When Skylor turns towards her, Nya meets her lips with her own.

Skylor blinks. Nya pulls away from the kiss and manages a shaky smile.

"Y'know," she says, "in case you need my water powers."

They've held hands more than once. Skylor already has Nya's water powers. She doesn't mention this. "Thank you," Skylor says.

"Skylor, give me Morro," Kai says. "You're going to need more than one free hand. We'll save Garmadon – and then we're all getting out of here!"

Skylor hesitates, but when Kai grabs Morro and pulls him away, she doesn't fight, and neither does Morro. She doesn't have words, so she just nods and rushes to Terra, Nova, and Borg.

"Skylor! Your arm!" Borg cries.

" _Your_ arm!" Skylor exclaims, dodging between the tentacles and stopping in front of him and Terra. "What are you _doing?_ "

Underneath the purple glow, Borg's left hand is criss-crossed with veiny lines, looking almost like lines of cracked glass reaching down past his wrist. He glances at it and takes a deep breath.

"I've never done, ah, offensive spells before," he says. "I panicked, and… I had limited options for a power source."

"You _idiot!_ " Terra yells. "You're the one keeping the portal open! What the hell will we do if you die in here?!"

No time to get mad; Skylor takes Nova from Terra and helps her stand. "None of us are dying in here," she growls. "We're all getting out of here. Borg, stop doing whatever you're doing."

"But –"

"You already saved us!" she snaps. "You need to save your strength for the portal home!"

The realm shudders. Looking across the cavern at Kai, Nya, and Morro, Skylor can see they've managed to free Garmadon once more.

The floor tilts beneath their feet.

"Oh, God," Nova whimpers, just as water starts rushing down the new slope.

* * *

The water snaps him out of it. Kai is holding him, now – where did Skylor go? Morro sputters and holds on to Kai with his one good arm while the freezing water rises around them.

"Nya!" Kai is shouting. "Sis! Nya! Where are you?!"

Nya surfaces next to him with a gasp, clutching Garmadon to her and keeping his head above the water. "What's happening?!" she cries. "Why is there more water?!"

Morro can feel her again; the Preeminent's rage, burning to the point of desperation –

– and yet, beneath that, a feeling of _victory._

"She's going back," Morro whispers. "Back to the ocean, she's – she's going to drown us –"

Kai ignores him, or maybe he just doesn't hear. "I don't know!" he shouts back to Nya. "Where's Skylor and the others?!"

"Over here!" comes Skylor's voice. Morro manages to see her, barely visible around on the other side of the ghosts' floating ice prison. "We're okay! What about you?!"

"We're alive, at least!"

The realm shudders and groans. Their surroundings tip and roll, sending all of them tumbling around and around in the water. Morro closes his eyes, holds his breath, and clings to Kai as best he can.

When they surface again, coughing and clinging to each other, there's only a tiny pocket of air at the very roof of the cavern they're in – and the water is still rising, Morro realizes, watching it creep up the walls. The fleshy ceiling is close enough that Morro could reach up and touch it.

The two groups manage to reach each other. Morro, Nya, Kai, Skylor, Borg, Terra, Nova – and Garmadon, who is still unconscious. Morro isn't sure if he's even alive. They grab onto each other and float there, everyone's eyes darting around, desperately searching for a way out.

"Where's the portal?" Kai yells. "Borg –"

"It's gone," Borg says, almost too quietly for anyone to hear.

" _What?!_ Terra yells.

"It's gone! I couldn't keep it open!" He's breathing fast and hard, not looking at any of them. "I'm sorry, I lost hold on it, I –"

"What do we _do?_ " Skylor cries. "Can you open another one?"

"If we had time –"

"There's another way out," Morro says. Everyone's heads turn to him and he falters before continuing. "The – the way the ghosts get out. Through her eye."

"We're supposed to go through the Preeminent's fucking _eye?_ " Kai yells.

"Do you have any better ideas?!" Nya's head bumps against the ceiling. "Morro, where is it?!"

"I don't –" Morro catches himself. He can't afford not to know. "I think I can find it," he says. "But… it's not… it's going to be a swim."

"What about Garmadon, he's –"

"We have no other options!" Nya shouts. "Everyone, grab onto me! Morro, get over here, you're going to need to tell me where to go –"

There's no time to argue. Kai passes Morro to Nya and takes Garmadon from her, and they all cling to each other. Morro takes a few shaky breaths and tries to remember the path through the Cursed Realm.

"Okay," Nya says. "Everyone, on three! One… two…"

* * *

"I don't know if I deserve this."

The darkness hisses, shapes writhing and reaching for him. Morro stands his ground.

"Maybe I don't," he says. "Maybe I don't deserve any of the good things I've been given. But you know what?"

She says nothing.

"I don't care," Morro continues. "I don't care that I don't deserve them, that I'm not worth all the care people have given me – I'm not giving any of it up, and you won't take it away from me."

She screeches, and a thousand hands reach out from the darkness with her cry, twisting around him and grabbing and pawing – they can't touch him. Morro waits until she's done to start talking again.

"You know," he says, "I never reached my true potential as an elemental master. Never figured out what I was afraid of, or wasn't able to face it. Maybe it's too late now, but –" He looks down at his hands. "– when Wu told me he was wrong, that I wasn't the Green Ninja – I didn't think I could have any other future. If everything he told me had been a lie, what future was left for me? So I did a bunch of stupid things that ended with me dead and cursed, and then I really didn't have a future anymore."

He can hear her whispers – he could have a future. Serving her, doing her bidding, she could grant him power beyond the sixteen realms, beyond anything he could imagine –

"Now I know what I was afraid of," Morro says. "I was afraid of – of choosing my own future. I kept wanting to be the Green Ninja, because that was the only future I knew. I was afraid of having anything else. I was –" He shudders. "– I still am. I'm afraid of having a future. I'm afraid of having a family. I'm afraid of – of _living._ "

There are more voices, echoing from a far distance. _Morro… Morro…_

He ignores them.

"It's hard," he says. "It's so hard. I don't know if I'm going to make it. If I won't just give up and die, eventually. But I'm going to find out." He laughs. "I'm going to live! I'm so afraid! I'm going to mess it up, I'm going to sabotage myself, and maybe everyone will finally stop caring about me, and they'll leave – but I'm going to try, and I'm going to live!"

_Morro… come back!_

"Maybe I'll never uncurse my soul," Morro says. "Maybe I'll come back to you when I die. Even though I know that, I still want to be happy. I still want to live. I know – it'll hurt, losing it all, but – it's worth it. Being happy, even if it'll be taken away from me, is worth it. It's worth living for."

_Please! Wake up!_

"And –" Morro's head feels foggy and slow. What else was he going to say? "– I don't know if there's a God, someone to judge me after everything is over. All I know is that there are people who look at me and think I'm worth saving. Maybe they're wrong, but – they're still trying to save me, and I – I want to be saved."

_Please, Morro, I don't want to lose you…_

"I want to have a future. I want to have a family. Even if I'm scared, I –" He wanted to say more, didn't he? Morro struggles to find the words, slipping out of his grasp. "– I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to stay with them, and you won't –"

_Wake up! Wake up! Come back to us!_

"– you won't take it away, you won't…" He can't feel her anymore. Who is he talking to? "…I want to live, I want to live, I want… I want…"

_Morro… Morro…_

Everything is slipping away. Morro grabs onto his last thought, repeating it over and over, even if no one is there to listen. "I want to live."

_Morro, breathe!_

"I want to live."

_Please, Morro, wake up!_

"I want to live."

_Stay with us, please, Morro, live!_

"I want…"

* * *

Morro sucks in air and chokes on water and bile, coughing and retching. His chest feels like it's been crushed under a thousand falling rocks, and his lungs are screaming in pain as he struggles to breathe. He can't see, the brightness is burning his eyes – there are shadows above him, blocking out the light, but he can't make them out. He can hear what sounds like a hundred voices talking at once.

Someone pulls him towards them, clutching his head to their chest. He can hear them sobbing, can feel their chest trembling. Morro realizes who it is – he mouths their name moments before blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "So if you're gonna kill me right here  
> then do it.
> 
> If not –"
> 
> there are a lot of quotes I could pull from night in the woods for this fic
> 
> most spoil the game completely
> 
> this is the only one I feel sums up how I feel without spoilers
> 
> one chapter remains. thank you for reading.


	32. End credits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: a hospital stay, suicide ideation (no actual attempt), a specific reference to overdosing
> 
> y'all better comment on this chapter I put blood sweat and tears into these past 2 months
> 
> ummm I say a bunch of stuff in the chapter itself so I'll spare you from more stuff in the author's notes. thanks 4 reading

He wakes up again, alive and breathing. Morro blinks, squints in the bright white lights. His hearing returns before his vision clears; there's a faint beeping beside him, a voice –

"Morro?"

He turns his head to the side and tries to speak – "Skylor?" he croaks, his voice hoarse and painful. "What…"

He doesn't get to finish his question before Skylor gets up from her chair and crosses the short distance to the hospital bed. "Morro," she says, her voice trembling. "Oh my God, Morro…"

Morro smiles and Skylor sobs. She crouches down next to him and presses her forehead against the bed, her body trembling. Morro still can't move his left arm; he reaches over with his right instead and puts his hand on her head.

"What happened?" he asks.

"You don't remember?"

"Not… not everything." There's an ache in his chest. He can feel it with every breath. "We – we were going to go through her eye… did everyone…?"

"Everyone is fine," Skylor says, and she sits up and takes his hand in both of her own. "We all got out. We're safe. We're fine."

Morro repeats his question: "What happened?"

* * *

**Chapters One & Eight:** _Radical Face – Black Eyes_ [This life ain't no love song. / I’ve got storm clouds that are brewing behind my eyes.]

**Chapter Two:** _AWOLNATION – THISKIDSNOTALRIGHT_

**Chapters Three & Eleven:** _My Little Pony: The Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Open Up Your Eyes_ [We all start out the same. / It's time to grow up and get wise.]

**Chapters Four & Twenty-Six:** _Phantogram – Celebrating Nothing_ [Give me a reason to stay alive. / Every day I say, this time around my vision's getting clearer.]

This story would not exist without the support of many, many people, and I'll do my best to acknowledge them all in this final chapter.

First off – shoutout to my mom and my sister. I love you both very much. Funny story! I didn't tell my mom I was writing this fanfic because of how I based Morro's hospital visit in Chapter Four off my own hospital visit in very similar circumstances. She found it anyway because she has the link to my AO3 account. Thank you for everything you've done, Mom. I hope Morro got the happy ending you were hoping for.

* * *

They made it to the eye, with Morro's direction. "You saved us," Skylor tells him. "If you hadn't known where to go – we would have never gotten out of there."

They were still underwater when they managed to get out; the Preeminent was sinking back down into the trench. She hadn't gotten far, and they had thought she was dead – unconscious, at least. Unable to do them any more harm.

"Then she –" Skylor's voice hitches. "She grabbed you. Pulled you back down. We couldn't – God, Nya had to pull me away, I didn't want to let go – but we would've drowned, too, and – and –"

She wipes at her eyes. "It's okay," Morro says. "I… I'm still here. I'm still alive."

"You almost weren't," Skylor says. "Nya went back for you, and – when she came back, you weren't breathing. We couldn't do anything until we got to the shore, and you – you almost died, Morro. You weren't breathing, we couldn't feel a pulse, and –" She shudders. "I'm never going to forget, being underwater, Nya pulling me away from you, and you were – you were reaching for me, and – and –"

Morro squeezes her hand with all the strength he can muster. She squeezes back. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispers. "I'm so glad we're all here. We're all alive. Ronin was the one who found us – apparently he felt bad about, quote, 'leaving us all to die,' so he went looking, and he took us to the hospital."

"Where's Borg?" Morro asks. "I remember… he was there, he –"

"He's recovering. He's mostly alright, but he's very weak, and he hurt his hand with the spell he did." Skylor shakes her head and sighs. "He wanted to visit you, but they're not letting him leave his room."

"The others…?"

"Terra and Nova refused to come with us – I guess because Nova would be arrested. They weren't in bad shape, so they're probably fine… Kai and Nya are okay. They didn't get admitted. I was only admitted for a day, for my arm."

A day – "How long was I out?"

"Two days," Skylor says. "Could've been worse. The doctors said you needed the rest."

* * *

**Chapter Five:** _Night in the Woods OST – the Hole at the Center of Everything_

**Chapters Six & Twenty-Eight:** _VocaCircus – Karma [Kagamine Rin English]_ [Of course, I'm the sinful one here. / Give what you take; take what you give.]

**Chapters Seven & Nineteen:** _MGMT – Kids_ [Take only what you need from it. / No time to think of consequences.]

**Chapters Nine & Twelve:** _Get Scared – Sarcasm_ [My heart is breaking but there's no use crying about it. / I'm a fate worse than death.]

I don't really remember the circumstances under which I got the idea for this fic, I vaguely remember being half-asleep and trying to think of who an inexplicably resurrected Morro would stay with, since I didn't think he would be able to heal if he stayed with the ninja. Cyrus Borg? I thought. Yeah, him, he's pretty cool, and there's really a limited number of capable adults in the world of Lego Ninjago. I think the only other option I considered was the mailman, which is another AU entirely.

The reason I'm writing all that is because I want to thank brickscord, a Lego movie & show discord server, for encouraging me to write this, for being there to bounce the first ideas off of while I was still figuring out where to take the plot, just for being so dang cool and good – I would have never written this without all of you!

Shoutout to GC (feels weird to type your name with proper capitalization haha) for making the server in the first place. You're still on chapter 10 I think so you're not gonna see this for a little while, but… how do I even say this? The server means so much to me, and I've met a ton of cool people there (including you!), and, like, it's just so nice to have a place to share my interests, and – I can't even put it into words. Thank you SO much.

(and to everyone else in brickscord reading this before GC does – don't tell them about this shoutout!! let them find it on their own!!!!)

* * *

Borg visits the next day, having finally convinced the nurses he's well enough to leave his room, if only briefly. Morro is awake when he hears his voice, manages to push himself up to a sitting position when he hears the wheelchair rolling across the floor. Borg's left arm and hand is encased in bandages, and he looks exhausted – but he's here, he's alive –

"Morro!" The nurse wheels Borg right up to the bed. Morro smiles at him, feeling tears well up in his eyes. Borg leans forward and reaches out with his right hand before hesitating. He babbles questions – "How are you feeling? Are you alright? Are they treating you well? Is there anything you need? Do you…"

Morro grasps Borg's hand. It's cold to the touch. Borg gives him a shaky smile.

"I was so worried," he says, his voice trembling. "I thought – I had no reason not to believe the doctors, I know, but not being able to see you – I couldn't help but think – I'm so glad you're alright, Morro."

"Is your arm alright?" Morro asks.

"Oh, this?" Borg chuckles. "It's nothing, I just… accidentally removed a few layers of skin with the spell I did. Bloody and painful, but I'll heal." He slumps back in his wheelchair. "Goodness, I… I'm sorry Morro, my strength hasn't quite returned to me yet…"

Morro's eyes drift to his own hospital bracelet. He had noticed it the night before, and the discovery had sent a spike of anxiety through him. He meets Borg's eyes, and – dammit, this was supposed to be easier, he thinks. It wasn't supposed to feel as awkward as it does. He wanted to have something meaningful to say, but the only thing that comes out of his mouth is, "Should I call you Dad now?"

Borg's eyes widen. "Morro, I – _should_ you? It's your decision. I – I would be honored if you did, Morro, if you really wanted to…"

"Can I?"

"Of – of course! If you want – what brings this up?"

Morro raises his left arm slightly, enough for Borg to see the name printed on the hospital bracelet: BORG, MORRO S.

"Feels weird," he says, "calling you 'Borg' when… that's my name, now, too. So…"

Borg sniffs and screws up his face in an effort to keep tears from falling. "Well," he says, with a high pitch to his voice, "you're welcome to call me Cyrus, if 'Dad' is too much, this soon. But… I'd be proud to call you my son. You already know I love you very much."

Maybe Morro did know that, maybe it was obvious, but Borg has never said it out loud before. Maybe he didn't have to, Morro thinks. His last memory before waking up in the hospital is Borg hugging him to his chest and sobbing, lying there on the rocky beach. That speaks louder than any words.

But words have power, too, and Morro can feel their weight on his tongue when he says, "I love you too, Dad."

* * *

**Chapter Ten:** _GO DARK – Lazers_ [I know it says DANGER, is that supposed to ward me off?]

**Chapter Thirteen:** _Radical Face – Welcome Home_ [All my nightmares escape my head.]

**Chapter Fourteen:** _The Devil's Carnival – In All My Dreams I Drown_

**Chapter Fifteen:** _Steven Universe Soundtrack – Defective._

HEY SHOUTOUT TO LEO for drawing like 100+ fanarts of my fic and that's probably not even an exaggeration bc she didn't show me everything she drew and I have over seventy-five of her sketches saved to my phone. I'd say you're my biggest fan but that would make my other fans jealous so like. you're One of my biggest fans. i promise not to divorce you again, unless it's at a really funny time. crap my typing is deteriorating. also your music recs heavily influenced the story or at least the chapter titles, and I love all the songs you send to me. YOU ROCK!!

Shoutout to Ronin for being a COOL BRO and writing COOL & GOOD AUs and being the first member of brickscord I ended up meeting in real life through the power of both vacationing in the same city at the same time. You're really cool & a good friend!! I swear I will finish the illusionist coin crossover now that I've finally finished this 75k+ word beast of a fanfic.

**MORROZONE4LYF**

* * *

The first thing Garmadon sees when he wakes up is his son, asleep in the chair next to him. He thinks he's dreaming, unable to comprehend his surroundings. This can't be possible, can it? He thought he would never see Lloyd again.

He tries to speak, but the effort sends him into a coughing fit. The machines around him start beeping as he struggles to catch his breath, and the noise brings nurses into the room and wakes up Lloyd.

"Dad!"

Eventually, the coughing stops. Garmadon takes deep breaths while the nurses fuss over him, barely hearing their questions. The world is fading; he doesn't know if he's falling unconscious or waking up from this dream.

He wakes up in the same room. The nurses are gone. Lloyd is still there, awake this time. He doesn't look up at first, not until Garmadon clears his throat and manages to speak.

"Lloyd…?"

Lloyd jerks his head up. "Dad?"

Garmadon smiles at him. Lloyd leans over, reaching for him – his hands hover a few inches away. Garmadon's body feels unbearably heavy, too heavy to even move his arm and wipe the tears from his son's eyes. All he can do is breathe and smile while Lloyd sobs, unable to comfort him beyond that.

"What happened?" Garmadon asks in a weak voice, when Lloyd has calmed to quiet crying. "Where am I?"

"You're – you're in Ninjago City," Lloyd says. "The hospital. Dad –" He wipes his face on his sleeve. "Dad, Dad – so much happened, I – I –"

The words spill out of Lloyd's mouth faster than Garmadon can understand them. The Temple of Resurrection – Morro – Cyrus Borg – the Cursed Realm – everything jumbles together, and Garmadon finds himself struggling to stay awake.

Lloyd notices. "Dad? Are you okay? Should I – should I call the nurse? I…"

"I'm just tired, son." A chuckle escapes him, leaving him breathless. "I… I'm glad I get to dream of you."

"I… dream?" Lloyd shakes his head and grabs Garmadon's hand. "Dad, this isn't a dream. This is real. You're – you're out of there, you're here, you're – you're alive –"

It can't be possible. He was never going to get out of there. He was assured of that, over and over –

– and yet, as his hand is held in Lloyd's warm grip, Garmadon feels tears pricking at his own eyes while Lloyd smiles at him.

* * *

**Chapters Sixteen & Twenty-Five:** _Mirah – Bones and Skin_ [You blame it on all of the ones who left you. / You’ve got pain, caused plenty of.]

**Chapter Seventeen:** _Night in the Woods OST – Die Anywhere Else_ [I just want to die anywhere else.]

**Chapter Eighteen:** _Andrew Jackson Jihad – People_ [But God, I love some people sometimes.]

**Chapter Twenty:** _Night in the Woods OST – Proximity_

I can't remember everyone from brickscord who reads my fic (or doesn't) so my apologies if I miss someone…

Pinkie!! Your AUs are so good! I really want to work on kingdom AU with you sometime, even if it's just bouncing ideas off each other, and dang, you're just really cool, you know? I hope you know bc it's TRUE. you're SO cool.

HEY BLUEJAY you're so good and so fucking valid. We don't really talk much but I have some screenshots of you saying nice things about my art saved on my phone so you've had that impression on me!!

Sam, it always makes me smile when you comment on my chapters but please don't reset the vore counter again. No seriously your writing is good and I like reading it and I'm glad you like reading my writing too.

Sphor are you ever gonna read this? who knows!! shoutout to you anyway bc you're cool and I like your art.

Jesse isn't gonna read this ever and only knows about Ninjago through cultural osmosis but hey! You're cool, and I'll probably post this on the brickscord too so you can see that I'm telling you how cool you are. Sorry I'm a coward who still isn't caught up on Runner.

Everyone on brickscord is just so cool, and so supportive, and my back really hurts and this is quickly becoming incomprehensible and I'll probably edit the shit out of these notes before posting them. Or maybe I won't and y'all will have to deal with my incoherent rambling. Who knows!

* * *

"There's still a lot of people mad at you," Ronin says, dropping a messily-wrapped package down Morro's bed. "Borg's son or not, it's gonna take a lot to make up for what you did to Stiix."

Morro picks up the package and looks it over. It's flat, but wide, and looks suspiciously the same dimensions as a vinyl record. "What's this?"

"Just some stuff Nya asked me to give to you. Some cards."

Morro tears the brown paper off. "The record, too?"

"Nah, that was me. Figured you could use a pick-me-up, after the hell you went through."

He ignores the cards in favor of examining the record. He frowns at the design on the sleeve. "This looks too modern."

"Don't you know? Vinyl's are retro, now. Everyone's doing them. Went out and tried to find one you'd like."

Morro makes a face at him. Ronin groans. "You're killing me, kid. I paid real money for this."

"Maybe you should've stolen it."

"Y'know? I was gonna come in here and tell you I accepted your apology from back then, but just for that, I'm not gonna. You still gotta make it up to me."

"Damn," says Morro. "Guess I have to go work for you again, once I'm out of here."

"Guess you gotta."

Once Ronin's gone, Morro opens and looks through the cards. There's three of them; one from Kai and Nya, one from Cole and Jay, and one from Zane and Pixal.

"That was fucked up," Kai writes. "IDK what to say, dude. Feel better." There's no message from Nya, just her signature written next to Kai's.

"I never got to thank you for coming with us to the Temple," writes Cole. "Thank you, even if it didn't actually work." Jay adds, "Good thing you didn't die."

Pixal starts out her message by calling him "brother," and Morro has to put it aside to read later.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One:** _Fall Out Boy – Immortals_ [They say we are what we are – but we don't have to be.]

**Chapters Twenty-Two and Thirty:** _Nightwish – Planet Hell_ [You challenged the gods and lost. / Save yourself a penny for the ferryman!]

**Chapters Twenty-Three and Twenty-Nine:** _The Birthday Massacre – Remember Me_ [I know I've done this all before. / A thousand hands that pull me back down to the ground.]

**Chapter Twenty-Four:** _Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon_ [Reliving this is something new.]

OK we're moving onto AO3 ppl now…

Abc! I love your comments! I look forward to them! I look at the first comment you left sometimes (ok only like twice after first receiving it but whatever) and it's like… IDK I just love your comments a lot. Hard to articulate sometimes!!

SamIAm, I'm like almost certain you've left one or more comments on all my Ninjago & Lego Ninjago Movie fics, and honestly? That's dedication! Unless I'm wrong. But it's still dedication bc I remember a comment you left on my Green Ninja fanfic (that I WILL finish one day, hopefully soon) that was very long and really good to read. You're GOOD.

Un-AwesomeMe – your username is INACCURATE bc you ARE awesome! I can't believe you started watching Lego Ninjago because of this fic. That's just, like, baffling to me. I'm honored you started reading it without watching it beforehand.

There's so many other ppl I want to give shoutouts to but this chapter will be VERY long if I give a shoutout to every individual person who has commented ever so I just chose these three who stood out to me. Please know that I love and appreciate ALL of your comments, and thank you all for reading!

* * *

"Ronin said no," Terra informs her, putting her phone away.

"I could've told you that," Nova says, lounging on the couch in Terra's too-short clothes. "He threatened to shoot me, once."

Terra rolls her eyes. "It wasn't exactly unwarranted."

"Are you seriously defending Ronin right now? What did he ever do for you?"

"Not much, to be honest. It was a long shot to ask him for help in the first place."

Nova stands up and stretches, her shirt riding up on her torso. "So what now? I can't hide out in your apartment forever. You've got, like, a life to get back to."

"I'll go wherever you go."

Nova blinks. "Why?"

"You're not stupid!" Terra shakes her head and glares at her. "You kept sending me letters, you kept that stupid broken locket – dammit, Nova, it's been years and I still have nightmares about finding your dead body in the Temple, those goddamn scholars telling me there was nothing anyone could do – I don't want to sit here for another half-dozen years wondering what you're doing, wondering if the next letter you send will be the last. I'm coming with you, wherever you're going."

Silence falls heavy between them. Nova isn't meeting Terra's eyes.

"You're not going to like where I'm gong," she says.

"Try me."

Nova takes a deep breath. "I'm going to kill the Preeminent for good," she says. "Find out what's been keeping her alive, and stop it. It wasn't just the Temple, because she was still alive for a full year before the Green Ninja went and resurrected anyone. I'm going to kill her. I'm going to destroy the Cursed Realm." She looks up and smiles. "Are you sure you want to come with me for that, Terra Firma?"

Terra smiles back. "Well, if you're pulling out my old nickname for this… how could I refuse, my dear Supernova?"

"That wasn't supposed to be an incentive! This will be dangerous!"

"Going into the Cursed Realm to get you back was dangerous, too. I've done plenty of things that are dangerous." Terra crosses the room and sits on the couch. "Now stop telling me how dangerous it is and tell me what leads you have."

Nova hesitates, then sits down next to her. "I don't have any leads, only theories. You're familiar with the concepts of sister realms, right? Have you heard of Djinjago?"

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:** _Night in the Woods OST – Cycles_

**Chapter Thirty-One:** _The Family Crest – Beneath the Brine_ [Hold yourself beneath the brine.]

**Chapter Thirty-Two:** _Night in the Woods OST – End Credits_

There's a big theme that repeats itself in my novels; granted, I've only ever finished one novel before this, so I'm mostly basing this off of that one, this one, and the novels I've plotted out but haven't finished yet.

I've struggled with depression and trauma for many years now. I write stories to try and work out my emotions and heal. This was actually a plot point in the first lego fanfic novel I wrote (A Piece of Rebellion, if you're interested).

The theme I try to repeat, over and over, is _hope._ Things will get better, and we should be alive to see it. I want all my stories to be ultimately hopeful – and I know this one might've not seemed like it, a few times, but that's how life is, sometimes. It can be hard, and it can be painful – and it's worth it. Happiness, having a future, being loved – it's worth living and striving for.

There are a lot of morals in this story. I could go on for a long time if I tried to explain them all. Hope, healing from trauma, redemption…

Morro lives.

And that's enough.

* * *

Morro is healing fast; the doctors say he could be discharged along with Borg by tomorrow. He didn't think he would get any more visitors, but he wouldn't be surprised if Skylor showed up one more time – that's who he expects to see when he hears the footsteps and looks up.

It's Lloyd.

"Hi," Lloyd says, not looking at him.

"Why are you here?"

He flinches at Morro's question. "I – I can go, I –"

He doesn't go. Morro doesn't know if he does or doesn't want him here. There were so many things he wanted to say to Lloyd, so many things that have been festering inside him for all these months since he was resurrected – none of them seem appropriate, now. So he says nothing, and waits for Lloyd to speak.

"You brought my dad back," Lloyd says.

Morro blinks. "I didn't –"

"Shut up," Lloyd says. "If I hadn't brought you back, nobody would have gone down to the Cursed Realm, and my dad would still be down there. So –" He meets Morro's eyes for a brief moment before looking away again. "– I don't know what it was, but you must have done something right, because my dad's here now, and he's alive, and I didn't think I was ever going to see him again. So whatever it was, whatever you did –"

"Please don't thank me," Morro interrupts.

Lloyd opens his mouth, then doesn't say anything.

Morro struggles to find the words. "Do you know," he says, "that if I had the chance to do my entire life over again, start to finish, with the option to do something different…"

He trails off. "Yeah?" Lloyd says.

"I would do everything exactly the same." Maybe the painkillers are wearing off, because it feels like his chest is being squeezed as he breathes. "Everything I did – everything everyone did – it resulted in this future. And I would be afraid to change it. Maybe it could be better, but it could be worse. I could lose everything I have now. So I'd just keep it the same."

Lloyd looks down at his feet. "I think I would change a lot," he says. "There were… a lot of mistakes, I think. And maybe things would be better if I had been… different."

"Would you still bring me back?"

Lloyd hesitates for a long moment. "Yeah," he says. "I… I think so."

There are so many things he wants to say –

"You know," Morro says, "even if it resulted in this future, I did horrible things to you. You… you didn't deserve that." He takes a deep breath. "You don't have to forgive me. I don't need that from you. But I am sorry."

"Okay," Lloyd says. "I, um… that's good to hear. That I don't need to forgive you. If you needed me to, I could try, 'cause you really do seem like you're a better person now, but… I don't really want to forgive you. And I don't think we should see each other again."

"You're the one who came to visit _me._ "

Lloyd flinches again. "That's because –"

"It's fine," Morro says. "We don't have to see each other. But I'm not going to be weird about it. If you come to the tower and I'm in the same room as you, I'm not going to leave just because you're there."

"Yeah, no, you don't have to do that. But we shouldn't talk to each other again. And I shouldn't – we shouldn't meet up ever, 'cause I don't want to see you ever again if I don't have to."

"That's fine."

Lloyd turns away, and Morro realizes he is never going to get this chance again – "Lloyd, wait!"

He stops. Morro feels – maybe he shouldn't ask it, but, God, he _needs to know._

"Why did you do it?" he asks. "After everything I did… you didn't know that it would turn out like this. Why?"

Lloyd doesn't turn back for a long moment, standing there in silence. When he finally does, he looks Morro in the eyes.

"No one else was going to," he says.

Morro doesn't know what answer he expected.

"Everyone kept telling me, when we came back from the temple – I didn't have to do it." Lloyd shakes his head. "I didn't have to be the one to bring you back. But what they really meant was that you didn't have to come back at all, because no one else would have done it. It didn't have to happen – but it had to be me.

"When we fought, I saw some things in the sword. I saw Wu trying to save you. And I saw you refuse to be saved. And – maybe that's the wrong reason to want to save someone, if they don't want to be, but I thought it meant you could change. That you could have a second chance." Lloyd's shoulders are trembling as he continues. "And I'm not sorry I did it. I know you didn't want to come back, and – I was sorry for a little while, near the beginning. But I'm not sorry now. I have my dad back, and that's –"

"God, I'm not asking you to apologize," Morro interrupts. "Don't you realize what you've done for me? I have a home now. I have people who care about me. I'm alive, and – I should be thanking you. I –" His voice catches. "I will thank you. Thank you, Lloyd, for giving me this life."

It sounded a lot less stupid in his head, but too late, he's said it, there's no taking it back now. Lloyd blinks and doesn't respond.

Morro didn't realize he was leaning forward; he lets himself fall back onto the bed. "That's it. You can go now."

"Okay," Lloyd says. "Goodbye."

* * *

One last shoutout! Night in the Woods was a huge influence on this story – if you've played it and gone through all of Bea's events, the party in Chapter Twenty-Eight might've seemed familiar. That's probably the most direct influence; there are other, smaller ones. It's a good game. You should play it.

I can't end this story without plugging [4thewords](https://4thewords.com), a gamified writing site that I literally wrote this entire first draft of this fanfic on. It's absolutely worth the $4 per month I shell out for it.

That's it!

Thank you for reading!

* * *

Their first night back in the tower, Cyrus can't sleep.

It's not because of the nightmares; he's had plenty time to get used to those at the hospital. But something about being back in his room after everything that happened – it's a lot. Everything seems a lot.

It's been four months since Morro came to live with him, and now, Cyrus can't imagine what he would do if Morro left for good.

He sighs and rolls over in bed. Maybe he's pushing too hard, as usual. It had only been a month when Cyrus had first broached the idea of adopting Morro – which had gone poorly, he recalls, remembering Morro's attempt to run away to Stiix. What was Cyrus thinking, back then? He had never raised a flesh and blood child before, let alone a teenager with fifty years' worth of trauma. Maybe this is all wrong. Maybe he's the wrong person to take Morro in. Maybe it's too soon for Cyrus to call him his son. Maybe… maybe…

His phone buzzes.

< are you awake

He sits up and hastily texts Morro back.

Yes. Is everything alright? >

< cant sleep  
< can i come in

Cyrus looks up at the door. He hadn't heard anyone on the other side, but…

Yes. The door is unlocked. >

The door opens shortly afterwards, so Morro must have been waiting outside. He has a blanket bunched up under one arm and what Cyrus recognizes as the packet of medications the hospital sent with him clutched in his hand.

"I don't know if I can do this," Morro says quietly.

"Do what?"

Morro sits down on the floor, placing the medications next to him. "Living," he says. "It's hard. I thought it would be easier, now, but it's not. It's really not."

Cyrus remembers the last time Morro got his hands on prescription medications, and his stomach lurches. "Morro, are you alright? Did you –"

"I didn't try to overdose again, if that's what you're asking." Morro shakes his head. "But I thought about it. Poured some out and held them. I just… didn't end up taking any."

Cyrus breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you didn't. Morro, could you… could you come here?"

Morro slowly gets to his feet, leaving the blanket and the packet on the floor. He hesitates before walking to the bed, standing there awkwardly. Cyrus reaches out and takes Morro's hand.

"I know it's hard," Cyrus says quietly, "and I know there's no way I can truly know how hard it must be for you. I will do everything I can do to make it easier for you, but I need you to promise me that you'll try."

"Try?"

"Try to keep going. Try to get better. You don't have to succeed, not always. I'll be there to help you when even trying is too hard. But I do need you to try."

"But what does that mean?" Morro asks. "You say I should try, but I don't know what that means, and I don't know what getting better means, either. Why should I keep living when I'm going to be stuck like this forever?"

"Because you're not stuck like this, I promise. Things can change. Things _will_ change – we don't have a choice in the matter. Once day you'll realize that it's easier, and that it's been getting better for a long time." Cyrus smiles at him. "Until then, I need you to keep going. To stay alive."

"Yeah, because I did such a great job at that the first time."

Cyrus' smile vanishes. "That wasn't funny, Morro."

Morro looks away. "Sorry."

"It's alright."

A few moments pass where neither of them speak. Morro opens and closes his mouth a few times, and Cyrus can tell he's searching for words. Finally, he finds them.

"I want to live," Morro whispers. "I really do. I just feel like I can't. That dying is my only option. What do I do?"

"I can't tell you for certain. I'm not exactly trained for these situations. It might be useful if you see someone who is."

Morro wrinkles his nose. "You mean a therapist."

"Don't make that face. It's certainly helped me to see a therapist, after what happened with the Overlord."

"Whatever."

Cyrus sighs. "Sometimes all you can do is… not do anything," he says. "Sit there and wallow in misery until you have the strength to do something other than hurting yourself. I'm sorry I don't have any better advice at the moment. It's been a struggle for me, too."

"Can I stay here for the night? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course! There's a chair there – it can fold out and lie flat. Might be a little short for you, but it's better than sleeping on the floor."

It is short. Morro's feet stick out over the end when he lies straight. He curls up and pulls the blanket over his head.

"Maybe it'll be easier in the morning," he mutters.

"Most things are," Cyrus says. "Goodnight, Morro."

"Goodnight, Dad."

The morning comes, and the next one, and the next. The sun rises and sets each day, and Morro is there to see it. One day, he'll wake up and realize that it really is easier. That things really are better now.

Until then, all they need to do is live.

* * *

**THE END**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Bittersweet Lilies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13403097) by [Pinkiegirl12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkiegirl12/pseuds/Pinkiegirl12)




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